BLOG TOUR ~ Mummy Needs A Break by Susan Edmunds

Hi Everyone,

 is my stop on the Blog Tour for Mummy Needs A Break by Susan Edmunds where I've an extract from her latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

‘What are you up to?’ Stephen had asked on Monday night. Monday night? I had been contorting myself at a prenatal yoga class, trying to maintain my zen. I’d dragged myself down for a rare class at the studio, though it would have been much easier to just stay home and do another YouTube workout on the LEGO-strewn lounge floor. Stephen had said he was working late, that night. I remembered because I’d had to send Thomas to my parents, where he’d wreaked overtired havoc. ‘Just lying on the couch,’ the mystery number replied. ‘Lucky couch.’ He signed the message off with a heart-eyed emoji. An emoji! Was that meant to be cute? ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Sitting here, thinking about you. See you soon?’ ‘Of course.’ Whoever the other number was, the message was ended with a heart in return. Then the exchange had fallen dead for a couple of days. I lowered myself to the kitchen floor, the too-trendy square handle of the cabinet sticking into my back, the cold metal of the phone in my hands. Lucky couch? Thinking about you? I could not get my thoughts to run in order. It was like watching television when Thomas had the remote, zipping forward then doubling back. The blood had retreated from my fingertips, and my stomach had started somersaulting. The tiles were cold under my shins. What was going on? I shut my eyes. Stephen had been away from home more than usual, blaming work. I’d assumed he was doing extra hours so that he could take some time off when the baby arrived. It had never occurred to me to question whether he might have been somewhere else.

BLOG TOUR ~ The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington where I've an extract from her latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

Tiff crouched down to peek inside the pram. ‘Aw, he’s getting bigger. It’s all that good milk he’s getting.’

‘Not sure he is getting enough milk, actually.’ Now Louisa was inside her best friend’s house, she let her guard down. Without even realising she felt sad, tears began to trickle down her face.

‘Oh, lovely. Come here.’ Tiff enveloped Louisa in a tight hug, rocking her gently. This only added to Louisa’s unexpected outpouring of tears and suddenly she was sobbing.

‘I don’t know what’s happening to me.’ Her voice was muffled in Tiff’s white T-shirt.

‘Baby blues, love. They’ll pass. Come on, let’s get you a coffee.’

Louisa left Noah, who was thankfully still asleep despite the movement of the pram ceasing, and followed Tiff into her huge kitchen, wiping her tears with her jumper sleeve as she walked.

‘Here.’ Tiff handed Louisa a small cube of coloured tissues. Louisa took a few sheets and swiped them across her nose, annoyed with herself for crying the second she’d walked in. She watched through tingling eyes as her friend of eight years filled the see-through kettle with bottled water – she didn’t trust tap water, convinced she’d get cancer from drinking it – and stared at the blue light radiating through the liquid.

‘So—’ Tiff turned to look at her ‘—I take it you’re not sleeping, looking at those bags.’

Louisa couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Hah! Thanks, I feel better already!’

BLOG TOUR ~ Truth or Die by Katerina Diamond

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for truth or Die by Katerina Diamond where I've an extract from her latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

Adrian wasn’t sure what she was getting at. Was she inviting him over? Over the last few weeks they had made a regular habit of staying over at each other’s houses, more as a comfort than anything else. Both happy to be alone, but still not totally OK with being lonely. They would sleep in the same bed together; it had become comforting, if a little strange. Almost platonic, but not quite. There was a definite undertone to what they were doing, but it had been a little over six months since the woman Adrian was seeing, the woman he was falling for, had been taken from him violently. It had been even less time since Imogen had ended her intense relationship with an ex-con. Neither of them particularly relished the idea of dating anyone right now, but still, they were growing closer. Despite that, Imogen hadn’t yet spoken to Adrian about her mother’s death, and her funeral was on Monday – Adrian kept wondering whether she wanted him to go with her.

‘Have you met the new DI yet?’ he asked, changing the subject. If she wanted him there she would ask. He hoped.

‘No, who is it?’

‘Someone who’s transferred in.’

‘Not from Plymouth, I hope,’ Imogen said quickly, shuddering at the thought of her old job.

BLOG TOUR ~ Forget Me Not by Claire Allan

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Forget Me Not by Claire Allan where I've a review of her latest novel. I was thrilled to be asked by Sabah Khan from Avon Books to take part along with some other fab book bloggers. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour at the end of the review so without further ado, here it is:

I disappeared on a Wednesday afternoon. I was there one minute and the next I was gone.

Set in Derry during the hottest summer on record, it's 6am and Elizabeth O'Loughlin takes her dog Izzy, out for a walk when she comes across Clare who is a civil servant has been the victim of a horrific knife attack, desperately clinging to life on the side of the road.

Unfortunately, Clare dies minutes later but not before mumbling her haunting last words to Elizabeth but it soon becomes clear that Clare's killer has more then one murder on their mind and that the other women, Elizabeth included are in grave danger but she has to take drastic action or face loosing everything. What if she can't stop a killer determined can never to be forgotten?

Well, where do I start?? I didn't like this, I absolutely LOVED this book. It was fantastic, I was gripped from the first few pages, that prologue had me hook, line and sinker and I couldn't read the book fast enough to find out how it all panned out. Told over a two week time span it is told from two main characters perspectives, Elizabeth and Clare's friend Rachel where each chapter alternated between them and with a couple of extra characters thrown into the mix. At times, you could feel the fear and tension been palpable on every turning page. It has many themes running through the book including loss, grief, paranoia to the biggest one touching on bullying and it's repercussions. I thought I'd had worked out how it was going to end but was wrong on numerous occasions and that's the clever and skilful thing about Claire and her plots in books, you think you have it all worked out and something else is thrown into the mix to completely throw you off the scent. 

Claire Allan is well known for writing women's fiction for a long time but with no disrespect to her novels, she has definitely found her calling as a Crime/Thriller writer. She just keeps getting better and better with each novel she turns out with this one been her best in my opinion. I can't wait to read her next thriller (no pressure, Claire). A definite summer read to pack for your holidays, especially if you're going to the beach.

Forget Me Not is Claire's third thriller novel which is available in all good bookshops, libraries, on audio and on Kindle where it is currently £2.99 so grab it while you can as you definitely won't be disappointed. 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!