Blog Tour - One Last Summer by Victoria Connelly

They have the whole summer ahead of them. Is it enough to rekindle the friendship they once shared?

Harriet Greenleaf dreams of spending the summer in a beautiful ancient priory on the Somerset coast with her two best friends—but her dream is bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s a chance to reconnect three lives that have drifted apart; on the other, she has a devastating secret to share that will change everything between them forever.
First to arrive is Audrey—the workaholic who’s heading for a heart attack unless she slows down and makes time for herself. Then Lisa, the happy-go-lucky flirt who’s always struggled to commit to anyone—or anything. Ever the optimist, can Harriet remind them of the joy in their lives and the importance of celebrating good friendship before it’s gone?

Through the highs and lows of a long, glorious summer, these three women will rediscover what it means to be there for each other—before they face the hardest of goodbyes.

One Last Summer is the perfect book to settle down with over a long relaxing break. The setting is in beautiful Somerset, where three friends arrange to stay in an old priory and reconnect. Each have their own life story to reminisce over but it is Harriet who has the most important update to give, one which will change their friendship for ever!

I really enjoyed 'One Last Summer'. I was able to loose myself in the beautiful scenery and felt like I was a part of the friends inner circle. Victoria writes in a chatty style of narrative and I raced through the book rather quickly.

I always enjoy Victoria's books and I am already waiting for the next book to be published.  

Thank you to the publishers, , and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

Blog Tour - Rachel's Pudding Pantry by Caroline Roberts

Step inside Rachel's Pudding Pantry, a place where love, laughter and scrumptious bakes bring everyone together.
Primrose Farm is Rachel’s very own slice of heaven. Come rain or shine there’s always a pot of tea brewing by the Aga, the delicious aroma of freshly baked puddings, and a chorus of happy memories drifting through the kitchen.
 
But the farm is in a spot of trouble. As the daffodils spring, Rachel must plant the seeds of change if she wants to keep the farm afloat, and it’s all resting on a crazy plan. She’ll need one family cook book, her Mum Jill’s baking magic – and a reason to avoid her distractingly gorgeous neighbour, Tom . . .
 
Swapping their wellies for aprons, can Rachel and Jill bake their way into a brighter future? The proof will be in the pudding!

I loved this book! It is cosy and warm, full of family tales and local neighbourhood togetherness within the farming community. Add to this the mouth watering bakes that are described throughout the book and the result is 'Rachel's Pudding Pantry'. I have noticed that there is a Christmas book in the pipeline and I can't wait to read it.

The book is made up of very short chapters and is therefore very quick to read. There is a great cast of characters and I am really hoping that the author will return to the farm in the future to develop further storylines within the location. 

The story is about four generations of the same family, each with their own thoughts, feelings and aspirations. The book is set in a traditional farming setting and all around there are all the modern problems faced by the farmers today. It is a really good read and although there is a farming background it is predominantly about fantastic bakes!

I recommend this book to all my blog readers, but one word of warning, do not read it on an empty stomach!

Thank you to the publishers, Harper Fiction, for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

Blog Tour - Perfect Crime by Helen Fields

our darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…

Your darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…
As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…our darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes… our darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes… our darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes… our darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…








'Perfect Crime' is Helen Fields' latest (fifth) book in the popular series of books featuring DCI Turner.  The subject matter is one which some readers may find distressing as it includes both suicide and also has some rather descriptive and brutal murders.

This is part of a series of books and although it could be read as a standalone book I think that the reader would benefit from reading the previous books in the series as there are some tying off of loose ends from previous storylines.

I am already looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Avon Books have very kindly given me an extract to share with my blog readers. Enjoy …..

Detective Chief Inspector Ava Turner stood, arms folded, overlooking the corpse. She was only slightly saved from the trauma of the scene because the injuries were so horrific that it almost didn’t look real. Dr Ailsa Lambert, Edinburgh’s chief pathologist, a tiny, hawkish woman who might have blown away in a strong breeze, was moving around the postmortem suite with her customary speed and professionalism.

‘Your first high-fall body?’ the pathologist asked Ava.

‘Yup,’ Ava replied, lifting an arm with her gloved hand and looking underneath. 

‘Are all these injuries postmortem or are there signs of an assault before he fell? 

These gashes look like knife wounds.’

‘Extraordinary, isn’t it? I’m afraid with a high fall, in physics terms, the force applied to the body is ballistic. These huge splits to the fleshy parts occurred when the force radiated out and reached a critical point where this man’s body could no longer contain the amount of energy within them.’

She lifted the sheet to reveal a split around the man’s side that almost reached his navel and another down the back of his left leg. It was as if someone had taken a meat cleaver to his flesh. Ava took the corner of the sheet from Ailsa and laid it back down.

‘Like blunt force trauma, then?’ Ava asked.

‘Sort of, only this works from the inside out. There are multiple fractures, as you’d expect. This gentleman landed flat on his back. His spine is severed in four different places, his liver burst and both lungs were punctured by broken ribs.’

‘Did he suffer?’

Thank you to the publishers, Avon Books, for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

Blog Tour - Swallowtail Summer by Erica James

They thought they were friends for life - until one summer, everything changed . . .
Linston End on the Norfolk Broads has been the holiday home to three families for many years. The memories of their time there are ingrained in their hearts: picnics on the river, gin and tonics in the pavilion at dusk, hours spent seeking out the local swallowtail butterflies. Everyone together. 

But widower Alastair has been faced with a few of life's surprises recently. Now, he is about to shock his circle of friends with the decisions he has made - and the changes it will mean for them all. For some, it feels like the end. For others, it might just be the beginning . . .

A story about friendship, making changes, and learning to live life to the fullest from bestseller Erica James.

Today I am pleased to be taking part in Orion and Compulsive Readers blog tour to celebrate the publication of Erica James' latest release 'Swallowtail Summer'. 

Erica James is a big name in women's fiction , but one who, I must admit, I have not read many of her back catalogue.

Swallowtail Summer has a gorgeous cover and when I saw the blog tour poster for the release I loved that too. It depicts a lazy summer afternoon, one which I would love to drop into and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings.

There is a great strand throughout the book of friendship and loyalty between a group of three men. I must admit that most of the books I read in this genre feature women as the main characters and so it was nice to find a story that showcased men for a change. I haven't really thought about this before but I think that I will be looking out for more books that feature men as the main characters in the future. 

I really enjoyed the story, there were so many different layers to the story and the reader was able to delve further into the friends history. There is a big secret that is revealled during the story and this really turned the direction of the book and made it memorable and unique.  Erica James kept adding more into the storyline which made it a great read and I will be delving into her back catalogue very soon.

Thank you to the publishers, Orion, and to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

Blog Tour - Pictures of Innocence by T J Stimson

My name is Lydia. I’m 12 years old. I’m not an evil person, but I did something bad.

My name is Maddie. I’d never hurt my son. But can I be sure if I don’t remember?

With three children under ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, she’s a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, she’s exhausted. She knows she’s lucky to have to have a support network around her. Not just her loving husband, but her family and friends too.

But is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? Because when tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child – and everyone is a suspect, including Maddie herself…

The women in this book are about to discover that looks can be deceiving… because anyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent, even you.

This is the story of every mother’s worst fear. But it’s not a story you know… and nothing is what it seems.

'Picture of Innocence' is both a disturbing and uncomfortable story, one which I couldn't read before bed but also couldn't put down. T J Stimson has written a compelling and enthralling tale, a mother's worst nightmare, one which parents across the world will be drawn into, and they will be left with an uncomfortable feeling after finishing the book but it is one of those that can't be put down however uncomfortable the reader feels. 

T J Stimson leads the reader in two separate tales, which appear unlinked and sends lots of red herrings, putting the reader off the scent. When the two tales do interlink I found the story became clearer however I still didn't see the ending coming and I love when an author does this - the surprise being right at the last minute.



Avon Books have very kindly given me an extract to share with my blog readers. Enjoy …..

Maddie opened her eyes. It was dark; she struggled to orient herself as her vision adjusted to the gloom. She was in the nursery: she could just make out the silhouette of Noah’s cot. She had no idea how she’d got here. When she groped for the memory, it’d been wiped clean.

Her throat felt raw and hoarse, as if she’d been screaming. She moistened her lips, and tasted blood. Shocked, she touched her mouth, then looked down to see a dark smear on her fingertips. Had she fallen? She and Lucas had been arguing, she remembered that, though she couldn’t remember what the row was about. Had she stormed out of the room? Walked into a door?

She closed her eyes again and thought back to the last thing she could remember. She and Lucas had been upstairs, in their bedroom; her husband had just come out of the shower, spraying her with water as he towelled his thick, dark hair. Her heart had skipped a beat, as it always did when she saw him naked, even after six years of marriage, the intensity of her craving for him almost frightening her as she’d pulled him hungrily onto the bed.

She suddenly remembered: with perfect timing, the baby monitor on the bedside table had flared into life, an arc of furious red lights illuminating the bedroom. Not that the alarm had been necessary; Noah’s screams had echoed from the adjoining nursery, loud enough to wake everyone in the house, and probably everyone on the street, too.

Thank you to Avon Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

Blog Tour - Our Life in a Day by Jamie Fewery

Today I am taking part in the blog tour to celebrate the publication of Jamie Fewery's 'Our Life in a Day'. 

Our Life in a Day is a breathtaking, ten-year love story told in twenty-four individual hours - for fans of One Day by David Nicholls, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and The Note by Zoe Folbigg.

The rules are simple. Choose the most significant moments from your relationship - one for each hour in the day.
You'd probably pick when you first met, right?
And the instant you knew for sure it was love?
Maybe even the time you watched the sunrise after your first night together?

But what about the car journey on the holiday where everything started to go wrong?
Or your first proper fight?

Or that time you lied about where you'd been?

It's a once in a lifetime chance to learn the truth. But if you had to be completely honest with the one you love, would you still play?

For Esme and Tom, the game is about to begin. And once they start, there's no going back . . .

'Our Life in a Day'  is an honest and believable story of two people who fall in love and the journey that their relationship takes. Esme and Tome are celebrating their ten year anniversary and look back over the years at their relationship. 

I really enjoyed 'Our Life in a Day'. It is a very clever concept which looks at a couple's relationship, cherry picking the highlights and significant events of the relationship and celebrating them. It recognises both the highs and lows and the range of emotions felt during them.

The story is about their relationship but is not a simple love story, it is a no holes bared look at their time together and is not only a 'happily ever after tale'. it is for this reason that I really enjoyed it. It stands out from many of the other books on the market at the moment. 

I look forward to reading more from Jamie Fewery in the future.  

Thank you to the publishers, , and to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Blog Tour - Envy by Amanda Robson

She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…



Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear.


When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…?


An unsettling, claustrophobic thriller about jealousy, greed and desire from Sunday Times bestseller Amanda Robson.

She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…



Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear.


When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…?


An unsettling, claustrophobic thriller about jealousy, greed and desire from Sunday Times bestseller Amanda Robson.

She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…

Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear.

When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…?

An unsettling, claustrophobic thriller about jealousy, greed and desire from Sunday Times bestseller Amanda Robson.

Today I am pleased to be taking part in Avon Books blog tour to celebrate the publication of Amanda Robson's latest release Envy.

Avon Books have shared with me an extract for my blog readers .....................

We sit in silence for a while.

‘I’ve bought something at the charity shop,’ Mouse eventually announces as he pads across the room. ‘I’ll show you.’

Rain forgotten now that I’m here, he opens his living room cupboard and pulls out a large cardboard box. He places it in the middle of the sitting area, lifts out a silver and bronze chess set, the pieces finely etched, and puts it on the floor. He stands up, shoulders back in pride.

‘That looks fantastic,’ I tell him.

He smiles at me. A broad, effervescent smile. When he smiles, despite his rough-hewn features, Mouse is good-looking.

‘Do you want to play chess with me?’

‘You’ll have to teach me.’

‘That’s fine. I bought it for both of us so that we could play together.’

My heart lurches. What would I do if I didn’t have Mouse?

I close my eyes and feel again my mother’s heat as I lay clamped against her, waiting for her to wake 

up. I feel her breath steady and even, not the agonising rasping I heard when I first called the ambulance. Eleven years old. A man stepping towards me, to prise me away. A man who smells of nicotine and mint. The social worker in charge of my case. I shudder inside and push the memory away. My mind is back. Back in Mouse’s comfortable flat.

‘Come on, Erica, I’ll teach you how to play chess,’ he says, flicking his grey-brown locks.

Thank you to Avon Books for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for a copy of the book in return for an honest review