The Primrose Path by Rebecca Griffiths

With thanks to Rebecca Griffiths and Sphere, I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.........

Somebody's watching her. And they know she's alone..........

When Sarah D'Villez was nineteen, she was kidnapped and held hostage for eleven days but escaped her abductor.  The case became infamous with Sarah's face splashed across the front of every newspaper in the country.

Now, seventeen years later, that man is about to be released from prison. Fearful of the media storm that is sure to follow, Sarah (or Rachel as she's now known as) decides to disappear to rural Wales under a new identity, telling nobody where she's gone.

Settling into the small community she is now part of, Sarah soon realises that someone is watching her and this someone seems to know everything about her.............

I really, really enjoyed The Primrose Path and even though it started off well with a shocking first few pages but for me it slowed down for a little but this didn't withdraw my attention and I was gripped throughout and as I'm writing this review I think that this was Rebecca's plan to keep the reader on their toes.  There is quite a lot going on in this book with the plot lines all coming together as the story proceeds a bit like the way the layers are peeled away on an onion with secrets, lies and the twist that I didn't see coming.  The characters were well written and I didn't know who to trust either as I was reading it, some of them were creepy in their own way.  The descriptions of the countryside of Wales was spot on, seeing as I spent a bit of time in Wales as a kid I could feel that I was there at times looking out on the surrounding landscape.


This is Rebecca's debut novel and is available on Kindle and from all good bookstores and is currently £3.99 on Kindle 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 Primrose Path would be perfect for fans of I Let You Go and Apple Tree Yard.  I am looking forward to reading the next novel from Rebecca but no pressure.

The Deviants by C.J. Skuse

With huge thanks to Cara Frances and MIRA Books, I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.....

When you set out for revenge, dig two graves.....

Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane all grew up together in an sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, they were always known as the fearless five.  Keeping up to their nickname, they were the audacious, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast.  But when Max’s beloved older sister Jessica is killed, the friendship seems to die with her.

Years later, only Max and Ella are in touch, still the best of friends and a couple since they were thirteen. Ella is training for the Commonwealth Games and Max’s dad even sponsors her training which means their lives are so intertwined.  But Ella is hiding things. Like why she hates going to Max’s house for Sunday dinner, and flinches whenever his family are near. Or the real reason she’s afraid to take her relationship with Max to the next level.

But when Corey who has always been the underdog of the group is bullied, the fearless five are brought back together again, teaming up to wreak havoc and revenge on those who have wronged them. But when the secrets they are keeping can no longer be kept quiet, will their fearlessness be enough to save them from themselves???

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!  What a book The Deviants was, I didn't just like this, I absolutely LOVED it.  I was hooked from the first page.  This is been marketed as a YA and I normally don't read YA but I'm so glad that I did read it as it was fantastic. There are layers of secrets exposed as the pages are turned.  I know that his book will stick in my memory longer than most because of the subject matter that was involved.  This story had it all from a little bit of humor, love, betrayal, a web of lies, protectiveness to more sensitive and hard-hitting issues like the lengths that some people will go to to cover up a family secret - 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 will definitely not disappoint and I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what C.J. Skuse writes next but I will definitely be checking out her previous books.

The Deviants is available on Kindle and in all good bookstores from September 22nd and is £3.99 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 Fallout by Margaret Scott

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

Set in The International Financial Services Centre, Dublin, where the offices of the German Commercial Bank DKB are based but the dust of the banking crisis has barely set when two letters arrive and it tells the story of 4 women, Kate O'Brien, Mary Lawlor, Leona Blake and Olivia Sharpe and their daily struggles both inside the job and in their home lives.

Kate has recently comeback to work in the bank after taking a short career break to have her children.  She want's to just come in and do her job and go home with as little stress or drama as possible but is she going to get her wish or has she her own agenda??

Mary has worked at DKB for so long that she can see things that aren't going right, she's been here before and could the same things be about to happen again??  She is tired of been taken advantage of by everyone and it's got to stop.

Leona is in charge and has a job to do and will get it done no matter how and what the cost. She's not a very nice or popular person at times and to be honest she doesn't quite care. But as her whole life starts to collapse around her, will she finally realise that she might loose everything.

Olivia is a very timid person and has started to write things down.  She has been treated very badly in her time with the bank and now she has a chance to take control on things and get the justice she deserves but what has happened to her and will she get it??

I enjoyed The Fallout, it was very well researched, constructed and written.  I could relate to nearly every persons story in The Fallout as I worked in the Financial Services for years and I worked with every single one of these characters and at times I felt I was right there with them. I could feel the pressure of the financial services all over again as I was reading it, from thinking about the banking crisis, been on high alert as soon as you were told the "Bigwigs" were coming down from Head Office, the early starts and the late finishing, the way the staff were treated by customers and high ranked staff and management to the bullying, it was all there.
 
This is Margaret Scott's second novel and would be an ideal beach read for any upcoming holidays. It's currently £4.17 on Kindle at the time of publication of this review so grab it while you can, you won't be disappointed.

BLOG TOUR ~ All Fall Down by Tom Bale

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for all Fall Down which is Tom's second novel through publishers Bookouture. I am thrilled be taking part in this wonderful Blog Tour and delighted to welcome author Tom to my blog with a review of All Fall down and a BIG thanks to Kim Nash from Bookouture for allowing me this opportunity to take part with some other fab book bloggers too. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour below.

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

With thanks to Bookouture, Kim Nash & Tom Bale I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.....

On what seems to be a normal and quiet Sunday afternoon, Rob and Wendy Turner and their family are having a BBQ when they start to hear knocking on their garden fence, as the knocks become louder, Rob decides to investigate only to discover a dying man, beaten beyond all recognition, arrives at their home, uttering the words, HELP ME. 

As Rob and Wendy Turner and their children try to explain the horrific scene to investigating officers as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in the days that follow they discover that their lives are going to be threatened in ways they could never imagine. They are also unaware that they are being watched by someone with their own terrifying agenda, who will stop at nothing to fulfill their own twisted desires. 

But when hidden secrets come rushing to the surface, it’s clear not everything is as it seems in this happy family. Are the Turners a victim of circumstance – or does the key to their fate lie closer to home? Can they save themselves before time runs out?


I didn't like this, I absolutely LOVED it. It was fantastic, full of thrills, spills, twists and turns. I didn't know who to trust as I was reading it. It was spine-chilling, pulse pounding, a heart thumping rollercoaster ride. As I said at the start that this is Tom's second novel, the first been See How They Run which I haven't got around to reading yet but I definitely will soon but I'm looking forward to seeing what's up next from Tom.

All Fall Down is currently £1.99 on Kindle along with See How They Run 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 Alibi by Jaime Raven ~ Cover Reveal

Secrets, lies and revenge brim to the top in this gritty thriller. Perfect for fans of  Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers.

A perfect crime needs a perfect alibi…

Crime reporter Beth Chambers is committed to uncovering the truth – and she’s not afraid of bending the rules to get there.

When troubled soap star Megan Fuller is found stabbed to death in her South London home, all eyes are on her notorious gangster husband, Danny Shapiro. There’s just one problem: Danny has a watertight alibi.

Determined to expose Danny as a cold-blooded killer, Beth obsessively pursues him. But in her hunt for the truth, her family are set to pay the ultimate price…

Publishing in ebook and paperback: 29th December

BLOG TOUR ~ Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Saving Sophie which is Sam's debut novel. I am thrilled be taking part in this wonderful Blog Tour and delighted to welcome author Sam to my blog with a guest post about how her job had an influence on her writing from her and a BIG thanks to Helena Sheffield from Harper Collins/Avon for allowing me this opportunity to take part with some other fab book bloggers too. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour below.

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

When I settled on the topic and themes that would become Saving Sophie, I put aside (safely, in a notebook) the heaps of other ideas for novels that were floating around in my head. I think, as a writer, you look out for inspiration in all sorts of places: a snippet of overheard conversation, a news article tucked away at the bottom of a column, a Facebook post or Tweet – they can all become ideal starting points for building a plot for a novel.

So I have plenty of options of where to pick up a great idea.

But on top of these sources, I am also able to draw on my real-life experiences from when I worked with offenders in a male prison. Far more than merely gaining an insight into prison life, I got first-hand experience of the criminal mind. I found the job – facilitating offending behaviour programmes – to be the most fascinating, sometimes frustrating, often rewarding job I’d had. Working in both one-to-one and group environments with individuals whose offences varied from minor and drug-related crimes to rape and murder, was often challenging. Because I had access to the details of crimes, and heard men talk openly about them, it meant that my mind was often filled with some pretty horrific stuff.

What do you do with all of that?

Sometimes I’d come home and find it impossible to switch off. I even lost my love of reading crime and thriller novels for a while – disquieting thoughts would intrude while trying to read the passages and I’d find myself reading the same line over and over, finally giving up. Some crimes in particular were harder to get out of my mind than others.

Now I have left the service, though, those experiences have come in handy for my novel writing. I wouldn’t ever write about a real offender of course, but from a personal perspective I feel I can more easily draw on the emotions I felt when working with them and listening to them speak about their crime and their victims. In addition, I think I’m able to portray the darker characters and situations that I write about in a more informed way, hopefully giving a feeling of authenticity.

I have plenty more villainous activity and twisted minds in store for future books. In my next novel, I’ll be introducing forensic psychologist, Connie Summers, whose life is about to get very complicated when she’s linked to the murder of a prisoner…

BLOG TOUR ~ The Family Man by Tim Lebbon

Hi Everyone,

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for The Family  Man which is Tim's second novel. I am thrilled be taking part in this wonderful Blog Tour and delighted to welcome author Tim to my blog with a guest post about Desert Island Reads from him and a BIG thanks to Louis Patel from Harper Collins/Avon for allowing me this opportunity to take part with some other fab book bloggers too. You can find out who else is taking part in this fabulous Blog Tour below.

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

Okay, I'll get the obvious ones out of the way.  If I was washed up on a desert island, it goes without saying that How To Survive Being Washed Up On A Desert Island would be top of my list of desert island reads.  That, and anything by Bear Grylls.  Although however desperate I became, I'm not sure I could gut a camel and squeeze its intestines in order to drink the fluids therein.  Yes, I've seen him doing that.  Yes, I know that if a desert island has camels, it'll have people and cities and plumbing and supermarkets, and things.  But I was just setting out my stall before we begin.

So, assuming the desert island is actually quite lovely, with plenty of food and water and shelter, and no creepy-crawlies that'll scuttle into my shelter at night and bite my legs––and who hasn't dreamt of a bit of time away on their own?––these are the books I'd take.

(note: I could write a whole book about books I'd like to take, but I'll keep it to three, on the assumption that a) I can read and re-read these again and again, and b) I'll get rescued pretty soon.)

The Stand, by Stephen King.  This might be one of my favourite books of all time.  I haven't re-read it in quite a few years, but I have it on my shelf, a pristine new edition of the author's preferred version (much longer than the original published version).  It's a truly epic tale of the apocalypse, and the ultimate stuggle of good against evil.  I've always liked destroying the world, and have done it quite a few times in my own fiction.  I think part of that fascination was seeded when I first read this novel in my early teens.  Humanity is all we know, and there's something awful and compelling about imagining it's end.  There's a lot to love about the novel, but for me its greatest power lies in the characterisation, with virtually every character undergoing their own personal struggle even while the larger world lines up its pieces for the biggest battle of all.  And the Walkin' Dude ... has anyone ever created a more charimatic and terrifying bad guy?

The Horror Hall of Fame, edited by Robert Silverberg and Martin H Greenberg.  This anthology collects some of finest horror short fiction (pre-1991), many of which I've read multiple times.  It also contains one of my favourite stories of all time, Harlan Ellison's The Whimper of Whipped Dogs (not an easy read, but knowing the background behind it ... utterly devastating).  Also one of my favourite novellas, The Willows by Algernon Blackwood, one of the finest pieces of writing delving into the power and mystery of the natural world.  Actually, if I read that novella whilst stranded on a desert island I'd pribably scare myself witless.  But I am a horror writer as well as a thriller writer, so ... sometimes, that's what it's all about.  With stories by Poe, Arther Machen (his classic The White People), Ray Bradbury, and many more, it's a classic collection.

The Second World War, by Anthony Beevor.  I haven't read this, but have always meant to.  I'm interested in the history of the Second World War, because both my father and grandfather were involved.  There have been many books written, but this one is famous for covering the entirety of the conflict in exhaustive detail.  Maybe it would make me eager to get home from the island and embrace my loved ones.  Maybe it would make me relieved to be isolated from humanity for a while.  Who knows?  But I think being along on a desert island, taking at least one book I haven't read makes a lot of sense.

Honourable mentions––right, I'm on the island and I have those three boosk above, when suddenly I find a chest washed up on the northern shore, sealed and waterproof, and inside there's a selection of books.  What would I like to be in there?  I can think of thousands, but here are a few more books I've read over the past few years that have had a profound effect on me, and which I think would while away a few lonely evenings while my signal fire burned and my suntan slowly got better and better...

We Have Always Lived in The Castle, by Shirley Jackson
Consider Phlebas, by Iain M Banks
A Life Without Limits, by Chrissie Wellington
Bad Men, by John Connolly
Probably Monsters, by Ray Cluley
Hair Side, Flesh Side, by Helen Marshall

I could go on.  But what's that?  On the horizon?  A ship's light?  I should signal, I should shout and scream...

...but I've still got a couple of books left.  I'm sure there'll be another ship along soon.