The Spider in the Corner of the Room by Nikki Owen

Thanks to LoveReading.Co.UK and Harlequin Mira, I received this in exchange for an honest review.....

The story opens with Plastic surgeon Dr Maria Martinez who is in Goldmouth Prison and has been convicted of killing a priest, she no memory of the murder but she has severe doubts about how credible her own memory is as she has lost chunks of time in her memory and has hazy memories of other events that she knows nothing about and she also has Asperger’s.  The DNA evidence places Maria at the scene of the crime, yet she claims she’s innocent. Then she starts to remember…...A strange room with strange people and she's being watched.

Has she committed this murder?  Is she taking the fall for a murder that she allegedly committed or is there something more sinister to this crime!?? As Maria gets closer to the truth she is drawn into a web of international intrigue and must fight not only to clear her name but to remain alive.

This book is the first part of a trilogy and it is the debut novel from Nikki Owen.  I will admit that I did find it confusing at times in the first half of the book, I also found myself getting bored at times and the story dipped alot of places and especially in the middle but the last 70 plus pages I couldn't read this fast enough to get to the end and see how it would all end. However, by the end of the book I still did not know who to trust. I feel like there is more to this story for the reader and Maria to uncover and I'm looking forward to the next installment of this trilogy.

This is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores from 4th June 2015.

Evil Games by Angela Marsons

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

DI Kim Stone is back with her investigating team and are once again, put on the case. The story opens where DI Stone and her side-kick DS Bryant are part of a child abuse case where two kids have been abused for a while by their father and are taken from their parents and into care by social workers.  Then, when a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution but, as more vengeful killings are coming to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work.  As the investigation quickly gathers momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for DI Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing but this time - it’s personal.

WOW!!!  What a novel Evil Games was, I didn't think Angela Marsons could top her debut success with Silent Scream but how wrong was I, it was absolutely fantastic.  The sociopath character was brilliant, well written and cleverly constructed.  They were everything you'd expect with a sociopath - cold, calculating, manipulating and has no regard for anyone's feelings or who they hurt on their path of destruction.  As we discovered in the first book in the series, DI Stone has her own hidden past and her own demons and her own buried secrets to deal with which we do touch on again in Evil Games.  I will admit that I found parts of the story hard to read and in places it made my skin crawl but it definitely didn't disappoint.  I know that his book will stick in my memory longer than most because of the subject matter. I am really looking forward to Angela's next book already where I'm hoping it won't be too long until another DI Stone Novel is upon us.

Angela Marsons is definitely an author to watch.  I'd HIGHLY recommend BOTH of her novels if you're a fan of Rachel Abbott, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham and they're only £0.99 & £1.99 respectively 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!!!

Both Silent Scream and Evil Games are available on Kindle.

The Girl Who Wouldn't Die by Marnie Riches

Thanks to Netgalley, Maze Publishing and Marnie Riches, I received this in exchange for an honest review....

HE’S WATCHING HER. SHE DOESN’T KNOW IT…YET

When a huge bomb detonates at the University of Amsterdam, murdering people and demolishing beautiful buildings, aspiring criminologist student Georgina "George" McKenzie is asked by the police but especially Detective van den Bergen to help flush out the killer so she will act as "bait" in an attempt to expel the suspect out into the open.   But the bomb is part of a much bigger, more sinister plot that will have the entire city quaking in fear?  And what special part will the killer have for George to play….....

This is the first book by Marnie Riches and what a debut it was, I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint. This novel is like a rollercoaster ride and takes us through London, Cambridge, Amsterdam and Germany.  There were a few twists in it, which I loved and that I wasn't expecting.  There were parts in the book I could feel my heart thumping so it's definitely not for the fainthearted. This is the first novel in a new trilogy series.  It is a pretty gritty book, I could also feel my heart  thumping in parts and I did squirm at certain scenes so it's definitely not for the fainthearted.   I am really looking forward to Marnie's next book, The Girl Who Broke the Rules already which is released in August and it can't come quick enough so it won't be too long until another Detective Van Den Bergen and Georgina McKenzie novel is upon us.

Marnie Riches is definitely an author to watch.  I'd HIGHLY recommend this if you're a fan of Jo Nesbo or Steig Larsson and it's only 99p on Kindle at the moment so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed so don't way I never told you so!!!

The Girl Who Wouldn't Die is available on Kindle.

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley

Thanks to LoveReading.co.uk and Allen & Unwin Publishers, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review......

Meet Daisy, she's 27 and married to her wonderful, charming husband, Jack.  She has been cancer free for 3 years and where for the past 3 years they've celebrate her "Cancerversary".........until now.  She has been told that her cancer is back for a second time and has spread quite rapidly leaving Daisy with only months to live.

Her major worry is what her husband, Jack, will do without her.  She knows that he won't take care of himself as Daisy has always done it for him.  She then decides that she needs to find Jack's next wife so she can go knowing that there'll be someone there to look after him and love him too.  This wife could be anywhere and as she starts to do up her list of what she needs in Jack's future wife so she'll have a proper idea of who to find and this turns out to be much harder than she had first thought it was going to be.

This was a very bittersweet, heart-warming read, it is sad in parts too, the story flows well throughout the book.  I really enjoyed Colleen's book which I read in a couple of days, it kept me turning the pages until the very end. There were a couple parts in this story that I could relate to as I had melanoma over 2 years ago so some of the things that Daisy was feeling and going through struck a chord with me.  This story had it all a little bit of humor, love, 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 and prepare to have a few lump in your throat moments too.  The front cover it has a sticker that says "As good as Jojo Moyes or your money back".  Seeing as I've never read a book by Jojo Moyes, I can't compare these two books but I'll probably be in floods of tears then reading a Jojo Moyes book.

Before I Go is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

Only The Brave by Mel Sherratt

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing and Mel Sherratt for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.....

The clock is ticking.........

DS Allie Shenton and her team are back.  Seventeen years ago, Allie's sister Karen was attacked and left for dead, she's been on a life support ever since that horrible night.  Allie is in visiting her when she is given a package that was left for her with a white rose in it along with a note.

When one of the notorious Johnson brothers, Jordan is brutally murdered and a bag of money goes missing, it seems he has links to Terry Ryder (featured in previous book).  As the case goes on over the 48 hours, Allie realises she is being stalked by the very same person who attacked her sister seventeen years ago.  They've a list of suspects and we get to meet the majority of the neighbours whom are living in the flats across from where Jordan's body was found and there seems to be alot of double crossing going on too so deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.

This book is absolutely 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.   There are 2 storylines running through the book and there are alot of characters introduced throughout the story but I never once got confused with this and the story flowed really well and at a fast pace.  There were parts in the book I could feel my heart thumping so it's definitely not for the fainthearted.

This is the second book that I've read a book by Mel Sherratt, I didn't just like it, I LOVED it and it definitely didn't disappoint.  I would definitely recommend this book and I CAN'T recommend these 2 books enough.  It is a DS Allie Shenton Novel and this is the third novel in the series, the first been Taunting The Dead and the second been Follow The Leader, it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone story but I'd definitely recommend to read the first two in the series as I'd feel that there would be a bit of the background story that you may miss out on.  I am really looking forward to Mel's next book already where I'm hoping that this isn't the last that we've heard of DS Allie Shenton.

Only The Brave is published and available on Kindle and from all good bookstores from May 26th 2015.

The Mountain Can Wait by Sarah Leipciger

Thanks to Elizabeth Masters & Tinder Press, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.....


The story opens with Curtis whom is a trucker in Canada, he has just left his apartment on the sleepy road of where he lives to drive through the Canadian woods, as he's driving along the road he picks up his lighter from the dash and tried to get the small tin box out from his back pocket, it wasn't there so he reaches back further to the gap in the back of the seat when suddenly a girl appears in the headlights.  He hits her before he can react and decides it'd be best to keep on driving and leaving more than one life shattered.

Tom Berry is a single father who has struggled to raise his two children, Curtis and Erin ever since their mothers departure. He runs a forestry business and is a hunter which takes most of his time and energy and he would happily be content if he lived out his days in the wilderness.  When the police come looking for his son in connection with a hit and run which resulted in the death of a young girl Tom leaves his mountain and goes to look for Curtis.  His journey sees him returning to old haunts and having to face people, situations and business he has left unfinished in his past.

I liked this book and I loved the beautiful descriptive text of the areas as they really brought the whole environment to life. It started off really good and I was gripped but it kind of fell away and unfortunately it was almost halfway through before the story really got going but once it did I really enjoyed it.  However, the pace of the story in parts were a bit slow for me but readers who enjoy fast paced action stories will struggle with this. It is more of a thoughtful read with the emphasis on dealing with problems and confronting past issues. This is Sarah Leipciger's debut novel but I'm really looking forward to reading more of her work.

 This book is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.

We've Always Got New York by Jill Knapp

Thanks to Netgalley & HarperCollinsUK & HarperImpulse, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens after What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan? left off and Amalia has just returned from Brazil where she's spent the Summer where she hoping that nothing has changed but it seems everyone has moved on with their lives without her. She has no apartment, her best friend Cassandra is acting strange and distant and has turned to be someone who she doesn’t even know anymore. Things have changed between them but the reason is unknown.  Amalia tried to fix things between them but then it doesn’t turned out to be a good approach.  I'm sure we can all relate to this in someway as I know that I could relate to this.  Amalia is very thankful that her other friend Olivia offers her couch for a few days as she tries to get back on track and tries to figure out what has been going on and the men she tried so desperately to leave behind are all back.

This book doesn’t just focus on love and relationships but also on friendship.  This has been on my TBR for a while, but I never got round to it until a few weeks ago.  Her first book What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan? is the prequel to this story, but you can read this as a stand-alone but much better to read the first book in the series as there is alot of back story and you may be lost at times with the characters and their stories/backgrounds.  I liked it, it was a fun, light read but I felt it was a little predictable in parts but there's one thing about this book though, it’s a cliffhanger but I am looking forward to the next book to see how things pan out.

This book along with Jill's first book is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores.