BLOG TOUR: The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Synopsis:

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelendting sun of the outback Queensland, in this stunning standalone novel from New York Times bestseller Jane Harper.

They are at the stockmans grave, a landmark so old, no can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did her lose hope and walk to his death? Becuase if he didnt, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects.

Reivew:

I dont think its any news that I'm a huge fan of Jane Harper and her work, The Lost Man doesnt change that fact either. This is a stand alone compared to her other two books which are a part of a series. I first heard of this book way before it got its name, before it was even written, back when Jane was off on a journey to research which already had be hooked with her tales and photos of her journey.

Her fantastic atmospheric way of writing pulls you in to the setting, holding you there, making you feel the blaring heat of the outback heat, the isolation and her character driven plots are incredibly engaging. Jane is for sure one of the finest writers.  Although I fell in love with Janes books that are part of a series, hearing this was going to be a stand alone book gave me hope to see  what Jane could come up with and how it would effect its readers. 

The book follows Nathan, one of Camerons brothers and he searches for an answer, was Cameron murdered or was it suicide? Well throughout the book there is nothing that points to the deininte answer, not until the very end, nothing comes across as something that an ammetur couldnt do, it was al so realistic.

There is no chance for you to not be shocked by this book, its unepected twists will floor you. Although i have read psychological thrilllers that i have beena ble to solve and ride out the twisty plots, Harper managed to yet again create another book with an journey and ending i couldnt see coming. The Lost Man is a tale of family dynamics, all too familiar abuse and a minimal list of people for you to choose from to guess the final outcome before the reveal. It's nothing new for me to aboslutely suck at guessing before the reveal. 

Theres so many things to this book that make it amazing, at some point you suspect everyone, and the passing between past and present brings the reader to an emotional climax after a tense journey alongside Nathan and his family. Jane hasnt dissapointed in transporting me as a reader to places I could only dream of visiting. If you enjoy emotionally charged, character driven stories do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of The Lost Man. Its only the begining of February but this book will remain int he top 10 best books ir ead in 2019 without a doubt. It's a 5/5 from me.

A Very Lucky Christmas - Lilac Mills

Synopsis:

Things can't get worse for Daisy Jones... can they?

Christmas is meant to be the happiest time of year so why is absolutely everything going wrong for Daisy? Reeling from a bad breakup, moving back in with her parents and hounded by trouble at work she really shouldn't be surprised when things go from bad to worse..and she ends up in A&E!

Her great-grandmother persuaded her to plant a silver sixpence in the Christmas pud for luck but choking on the coin isn't the 'change' she'd wished for. Yet when dashing Dr Noah Hartley saves the day things finally start to look up. With Christmas Day just around the corner Daisy's determined to make her own luck...and hopefully bag herself a dishy doc in the process!

Review:

So maybe when I first started reading this book I was so worried the book was going to be some soppy old cliche romace books but I opened the book and just read it all in 4 hours, laughing and enjoying each page as they passed by. I was beyond wrong with my first assumption.

First of all I absolutely loved Daisy, shes so real and I could relate to her due to this because she was literally so human and her experiences were reacted to in such a real manner ect. All of these characters were so well moulded, ever so real paper humans, if that makes sense. The pace of this book is so on point, it's not so fast you lose track and not so quick you lose interest, it's well balanced and brilliant read.

Daisy is a great character, Noah is an absolute gentleman and such an idiot at some times I actually did just sigh and roll my eyes like how can someone come to some of those comclusions is beyond me but someone somewhere is probably exactly the same as him. Daisy' family are strong and brilliant women alongside her brother who you can read his protectiveness of his sister which is adorable and lovely and their bond is so beautiful I actually would love to have such a relationship.

I cant even point out anything any degree of wrong for me from this book, I literally loved the whole thing. I feel if you look past the obvious themes of the book you can see it's a story that works with families that have split, the lessons of one parent households, so many real life issues that are really important to explore at some point in someones life. I cant really say much about this book without spoiling things or ruining it in advance before anyone read it as you may literally be into the book up until you get to the things ive mentions so my lips are semi shut. 

There is no way I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, and it for sure has me looking forward to Christmas due to its heavily christmas theme at points in the book and the imersion into family time around christmas. Lilac has done a great job witht his book I look forward to reading more from her.

Links to Book:

Amazon (UK)

Kobo (UK)

Google Books (UK)

Apple Books (UK)

About The Author

Lilac Mills writes feel-good romantic women's fiction, and is the author of Love in the City by the Sea, A Very Lucky Christmas, Summer on the Turquoise Coast, and Sunshine at Cherry Tree Farm. Lilac spends all her time writing, or reading, or thinking about writing or reading, often to the detriment of her day job, her family, and the housework! Home for Lilac is Worcester, England.

BLOG TOUR: Cordial Killing: A Backyard Farming Mystery - Vikki Walton

Synopsis:

Anne is excited for the opening of the Brandywine Inn. Kandi and Hope are her partners in the bed-and-breakfast n Carolan Springs, Colorado, where they also provide homesteading and herbal workshops for guests.

As soon as the guests arrive, its plain that the five old college chums have bad blood between them. When Anne finds a threatening note, its clear that someone is out for revenge. Then they find a guest dead. At first, the death appears to be natural, but suspicions begin to grow.

When a blizzard threatens the Inn, will it trap them all with a killer and no way out?

Cordial Killing is a classic who-dun-it with a twist. Set in the fictional small town of Carolan Springs, you will enjoy an armchair getaway into beautiful Colorado.


Review:

With this being the first book of Vikki Walton's that I have read, I feen honoured to be allowed to have recieved a copy to read and review for the Blog Tour. It is for sure acosy mystery and like most of the mystery themed books i read, this book is added to the list where I didnt get who the culprit was right away and im thankful this book kept me guessing on who and why and when the crime was comitted.

The beauty of this book also comes from the setting, the Inn is and old victorian home and when you put those two words together your mind automatically creates such a beautiful setting as those homes are so beautiful and unique as well as so much more. I think its such a perfect setting for a Mystery book.

Like most books I read, once i hooked there was no way i wasnt able to not think about it, I read the majority of the book whilst on my way to the little lodge we had an holiday booked for in Wales but even when i wasnt reading the book, which was pretty much when we got to the lodge as so much begun to happen, where we were out visiting places and having fun, I was still finding myself thinking about the book and that is a sure sign that it is a brilliant read.

What also shines through in this book is how much time and effort that Vikki put into research and planning because there is so much knowledge intertwined within each word of the book, it's lovely to see that so much time was well spent creating the intricate details.

There isnt anything that I can think of that was an ounce of a negative of this book, with this said I am a little sad I didnt read the first book of A Backyard Farming Mystery series. I can't award this book anything less than a 5 out of 5. Vikki did a great job I can't even begin to explain in words that make sense. To anyone that lkes cosy mysteries, this is a sure thing you'd enjoy reading. This was a super way to get to know a new author and I am super grateful to hav had to opportunity. I hope that anyone who goes on to read any if both of the A Backyard Farming Mystery books enjoys them as much as I enjoyed Cordial Killing.

About The Author

 Vikki’s first words were “I get it!” This attitude became her life-long mantra to always go after what she wants. It also helped her realize her desire to help others get what they really want out of life.

After spending years as a registered interior designer, Vikki began to write. While writing for periodicals, Vikki found herself on assignment interviewing publishers in Colorado Springs. It wasn’t long before the natural beauty of Colorado captured her heart.

After moving to Colorado, Vikki  worked with nonprofits. However, she soon realized she needed more autonomy in her work.Vikki started her own business as a nonprofit consultant and grant writer. She has helped nonprofits across the U.S. to receive millions of dollars for  their work. Yet, she realized doing one thing wouldn’t satisfy her for long.

Vikki became a Work Quilter™ combining her many passions to create multiple income streams. She started speaking and teaching adults on myriad and diverse topics around her knowledge, skills and passions.   She's taught and spoken on Creative Writing, Design for Heart and Home, Fundraising Fundamentals , Suburban Homesteading, Permaculture, How to Get What You Really Want, and of course, Work Quilting. Two words that continually appear on instructor and speaker feedback forms are "engaging" and "knowledgeable."
You'll most often find Vikki out hiking with her dog, outside gardening, traveling abroad, house or pet sitting, or writing her next book.

Born in Chicago, Vikki lived outside of Paris for a few years as a small child. That may account for her love of travel. She moved to Wichita with her parents before going on to live most of her life around the San Antonio, Texas area. She is the founder of #girlswantago and you can connect through Facebook or www.girlswantago.com. Vikki is also an experienced, professional global house and pet sitter.

Vikki's favorite genre is mystery so it wasn't long before she had begun her first cozy mystery series.  Incorporating her love of suburban homesteading, or as some call it, backyard farming, Vikki's first book is Chicken Culprit. 

BLOG TOUR: The Incendiaries - R.O.Kwon

Synopsis:

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet during their first years at a prestigious university. Phoebe doesn't tell anyone that she blames herself for her mothers recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy transferring in from bible college, waiting table to make ends meet. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.

Haunted by her loss, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group - a secretive cult tied to North Korea - founded by a charismatic former student with an enigmatic past involving Phoebe's Korean American family. Will struggles to confront the obsession consuming the one her loves and the fundamentalism he's tried to escape. When the extremist group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she cold have been responsible for this violent act.



Review:

The opening to this book is uhm… quite explosive, literally. The book starting at the end before then jumping around in all directions as Will searches for any ounce of a clue that could possibly point to Phoebe being responsible for such an act. 

The chapters switch between Will, John and Phoebe but the majority of the story is told by Will. There is many times where he recalls moments and conversations with Phoebe whilst almost straight out admitting that sometime he isn't really sure he's remembering things correctly.

The Incendiaries is a short book lasting only 210 pages but I must admit it wasn't anything like i expected it to be, it was a very slow burner and it was hard for me to really read it for long periods of time. It is as though the peak of the action took place right at the very start, most of the story that was being given, which was Will and Phoebe's back stories served in a broken/fragmented way which for me moved towards a somewhat anti climatic ending.

Initially it was the synopsis which had me interested and encouraged me to say yes and take part in this blog tour which I can't say I regret doing even if I feel somewhat in the grey towards the book and I have no regrets because the book carries themes that stick with you after you've closed it and moved on. Phoebe reminded me how vulnerable people can be, showing how people can be easily guided towards bad things in bad times, how easily they can be open to radical ideas. There's no denying that we as people like to think that we are strong-minded and can’t be moved and easily influenced by others but from this book it seems that maybe we don’t really know what we are, as humans are capable of when we’re feeling lost, at what we see is the very bottom of us and someone offers a hand to pull you free.

By that alone, as much as I actually liked the themes of the book, I'm giving it a 3.8 out of 5, I just wished I could have been able to feel something relatable about the characters, even if it were just the small things.



Amazon link to purchase a copy of The Incendiaries.

Blog Tour: A Single Journey - Frankie McGowan

Book Synopsis:

Harriet has begun to despair of her life.

With a failed relationship behind her, a business on the rocks and a flat that’s falling apart around her ears, she could really use some luck.

Elena Banbury, née Guseva, an elderly but imposing Russian woman who is Harriet’s neighbour and landlady, frequently entertains the punters at Harriet’s jewellery stall with tales of the palaces of St. Petersburg and the treasures of Fabergé. But Harriet sometimes feels, guiltily, that she could do without the endless errands that seem to fall to her as Elena’s friend.

Then, unexpectedly, when Elena dies, she leaves all her worldly goods to a grateful Harriet. In time, however, it becomes clear that others are shocked by Harriet’s good luck, too. Shocked… and very, very unhappy.

Challenged in court by Elena’s family who live in Berlin, Harriet is forced to give up her inheritance and long-dreamed-of plans for a new business, and start her life again. But with her reputation in tatters and the memory of Elena tainted, Harriet knows a great injustice has been done.

Against the advice of her friends, family and lawyers, Harriet sets off on her own, very singular journey to Berlin.

In the weeks that follow she meets rich and poor, the glamorous and the criminal, the honest and the secretive, and begins to see that perhaps she has something to learn from them all. Something to learn about herself, and something to learn about her priorities.

She knows she has to fight for justice. But, when she meets the scholarly, perceptive Neil, who generously tries to help Harriet in her mission, but who is struggling with a complicated marriage, she must also decide if she’ll fight for love, too. 

Review:

So I'm absolutely honoured to be a part of the blog tour for A Single Journey, I begun reading my copy of the book a little while ago but thanks to some unknown glitch I encountered, I was unable to fully read the book. Thankfully Hannah came to my rescue and provided me with another copy n a different format that allowed me to continue my reading. I must let you all know that due to the glitch and date limit on this post, I feel as though I may have missed things here and there because I had to speed read but hopefully, with all things crossed, that this all still makes sense.

I don't really want to be giving away too much of the plot away so I wont explain it in all of the detail I know, but as the story goes, Harriet rents a flat from aging Elena Banbury who spends her time entertaining customers that visit Harriet's failing stall and the others around her with tales of her childhood in Russia. It is only when Elena passes away that Harriet find out how she was really seen by her. 

As far as our main character Harriet goes, she feels extremely real to me, beyond likable in my eyes and with her own flaws, it adds to the realistic feel of her. As the story progresses I begun to feel more attached to her, rooting for her at every moment she needed me to, wanting her to be successful when a challenge came to her, she was just so real for me.

The amazing thing about A Single Journey is that as our main character dives deeper into Elena's life we get to see how the tale passes by generation by generation, crossing numerous countries. It's a greatly pulled off intricate plot that must have been thought through superbly well and because of that as a reader, I was hooked throughout and I have no doubt other readers would be/have been too. The plot is jam packed but easy to follow throughout and as each chapter closes and the next begins, you are drawn more and more into the book being unable to stop yourself from at points beginning to take guesses at what is coming next (but as always I'm so far off) 

As I've seen on The Writing Greyhounds blog tour post, Lorna talks of things that are in the book that are maybe morals and important messages within the book which I wanted to share with you too.

"there are also several important points, or perhaps even morales, that are addressed in the book. A Single Journey reminds us about the importance of following our dreams and staying true to ourselves; all too often, we can find ourselves bogged down in the mundanities of day-to-day life and realise that we are living without really living. Harriet's journey to come to terms with the events of the story perfectly encapsulate this and represent the fact that sometimes, we must listen to our hearts rather than our heads.

Another important message to take away from the book is the way that older people are treated in our society. With the UK's over-worked care system, it's all too easy for vulnerable elderly people to fall through the cracks and end up with their struggles going unnoticed, as portrayed by Elena's situation at the beginning of the book. In real life, there may not always be a Harriet around to help, and A Single Journey helps to highlight the very real issue of the UK's elderly care crisis."

I think what she says makes perfect sense, they are also things I also picked up on, I also like the idea that the message about the UK's elderly care crisis is really a great message to me sharing and showing through such a book in the way it is. 

A Single Journey was a great read for me even though I may have missed things via speed reading but maybe I'll revisit the book and update this review sometime soon. From what I got from it, as Lorna says, It's a moving, heartfelt story about love, loss and staying true to yourself.

I cant give the book anything less than a 4 out of 5, I simply loved Harriet just that much and loved how the tale within spanned so far. Please don't forget to visit the other blogs taking part in this tour and it's also the time to mention that for the duration of the blog tour, A Single Journey is at the discounted price of only 0.99.

Purchase A Single Journey Here

Social Media Links

Twitter: www.twitter.com/EndeavourQuill, and www.twitter.com/endeavour_media

Instagram: www.instagram.com/endeavour_media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EndeavourMedia1

Website: www.endeavourmedia.co.uk

On Holy Ground - Louise Cole Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Saving the world was just the start.
In The Devil's Poetry, Callie gambled with her life to stop a war. And she won. But now the game has changed. A Reader who understands the Book's magic is either a savior or a curse - what she can't be is free. When Callie stranded in the US, hunted and penniless, she desperately needs allies. But whose agenda can she trust? She must re-evaluate everything she knows, and find a way to escape, or die trying.

Review:

Late in June of last year I was happily a part of The Devil's Poetry blog tour and back then I was ecstatic with the opportunity and absolutely loved the book and tour so when I was contacted about being a part of the On Holy Ground ( The Devil's Poetry Series #2) Blog Tour, I simply could not say no.

On Holy Ground started with one hell of an opening sentence, which I absolutely loved but will not post here because its sort of a bummer to share something you should read in the book first, and even that's after reading the first of the series.

As with the previous book the point of view switches between first person from Callie and third person from a range of other characters’ perspectives. With nearly a year between when I read the first book it took me a little while to find my way with remembering the characters but I managed easy enough once I settled.

While The Devil's Poetry was set nearly exclusively around Callie's home town and London, the second instalment of the series jumps locations several times, and we get to see a lot more of the Order and the Cadaveri. The location jumping and the wide focus we get which allows us to see more of The Order and The Cadaveri is one of the highlights of this book. As it shows us more of these two opposing teams per say, we have a chance to learn more about their aims, their motives and what they are and are not willing to do to achieve them compared to what we see in The Devil's Poetry. I found that throughout the book, the lines of good and evil and the choice between right and wrong become so hard to distinguish and more faded than ever. There's no denying that the moral complexity in this series alone, not just this book, is one of my favourite things, it reflects the real world around us much more effectively than anything that has the good guys fighting the forces of evil.

In On Holy Ground I absolutely loved seeing Callie having to deal with things on her own. In The Devil's Poetry she generally had the Order around her, a team of highly skilled operatives protecting and directing her in the way she needed to go. In On Holy Ground she's cut off, isolated and on the run and she's bloody brilliant! The 'chase' sequences are well written, dramatic and exciting and have the feel of a action movie to them as she changes disguises and tries to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. It's also very hard for her and me as the reader to be sure of who she can trust, as every one has their own agenda. Despite this, it is nice to see Callie keep acknowledging the help she is receiving, whether from strangers or her support network back home, and that wherever she is, knows that she is never completely alone.

There is no way on this god given earth that I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, it ramps up the action and drama in comparison to the first book, gives us more detail of the world of which its set within and allows the reader to interact with some morally complex characters. I must say that if you haven't read the first book of the series but want to read this one, definitely take the time to read the first book first, it makes a difference.

Book Information

Title: On Holy Ground (The Devil’s Poetry #2)

Author: Louise Cole

Release Date: 14^th April 2018

Genre: YA Thriller

Publisher: Valkyrie Books

Format: Ebook & Paperback

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38721327-on-holy-ground

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Ground-Devils-Poetry-Book-ebook/dp/B07C1XVTXD

Author Information

Louise Cole has spent her life reading and writing. And very occasionally gardening. Sometimes she reads as she gardens. She can be seen walking her dogs around North Yorkshire - she's the one with a couple of cocker spaniels and a Kindle. She read English at Oxford - read being the operative word - and hasn't stopped reading since.

In her day-job she is an award-winning journalist, a former business magazine editor and director of a media agency. She writes about business but mainly the business of moving things around: transport, logistics, trucks, ships, and people.

Her fiction includes short stories, young adult thrillers, and other stuff which is still cooking.

Her YA and kids’ fiction is represented by Greenhouse Literary Agency and she is also published on Amazon as one of the Marisa Hayworth triumvirate.

Don't forget to check out the other blog posts on this blog tour.

Force Of Nature - Jane Harper BLOG TOUR

Synopsis:

Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?

Review:

Following The Dry, Jane has picked yet another superb setting for The Force Of Nature, Giralang Ranges, and it comes with it's own history, that of Martin Kovac, a serial killer that still haunts the area, continuing to haunt everyone's memories and nightmares.

Five women are on a corporate team building hike run by Executive Adventures, only four make it to the end. Federal Agent Aaron Falk of the Melbourne Financial Investigations Unit returns, this time with colleague, Carmen Cooper. They have been looking into financial corruption and money laundering at Bailey Tennants, the company of which the 5 women work for, and no one knows that Alice Russell is in the process of accessing and handing over crucial documents over to Falk and Cooper. 

When Aaron receives a voicemail from Alice from which he makes out the words 'hurt her' and as Alice is the one team member to not make it to the end of the trail with her team, Aaron feels guilty, suspecting the worst thinking that they endangered her life. The couple come across so human and real because Falk and Cooper are constantly concerned about what happened to Alice but their bosses are only persistent in demanding to get a hold of the documents she was going to hand over no matter what.

It's safe to say I've missed Aaron Falk since our first trip in Australia during the draught of his home town, so it was a lovely reunion even if not exactly on the best of terms. Its lovely to see Aaron as part of a pairing once again. Carmen seems like just the perfect match for him in a professional matter when it comes to with ways of thinking etc..Carmen also proves to be instrumental in Aaron coming to terms with the guilt he holds when it comes to the death of his father, a man well acquainted with the Girlang Ranges.

The story follows the search for Alice and the parallel narrative that tells us what happened amongst the group of lost women as they struggle in the dense bush land, cold, wet, hungry, thirsty and desperate to survive.

Jill Bailey is the head of her team during the hike due to her executive position in the company, this is as hard as always because throughout Alice is constantly hacks away at her authority in her efforts to return to Melbourne to be with her daughter, Margot. It's clear quite quickly that Alice is not nice, holding tightly to her mean and nasty streak that just gives rise to a host of suspects with a motive to do away with her on the hike. 

Alice has a dark history with Lauren Shaw that goes back to their schooldays. Lauren is a vulnerable woman, unable to cope at work as her daughter, Rebecca, whom we find out had descended into the deep depths of misery with mental health issues after an incident at school. Beth is on probation after leaving prison having battled drug addiction and in the process of trying to mend her battered relationship with her twin, Breanna. As the women's situation deteriorates, the rifts, rivalries, conflicts, resentments and jealousies surface, destined to lead to violence. Aaron slowly begins to piece together the mystery of the missing Alice.

Jane Harper once again gives us a strong image of the location in the Girlang Ranges with her beautiful and detailed descriptions of the landscape and the dangers within it, with the howling winds and driving rain. Jane' psychological insights make her complex characters and their development authentic to the reader. Her writing is so vibrant that I felt I was right there with the lost women as they stumbled their way through the bush, hunger and fear contributing to their downward spiral as they turn on each other and Alice. The strongest recurring theme is the issue of just how far parents are prepared to go for their children. It's a beautiful underlining theme if I must say so.

Jane yet again blew me away with Force Of Nature, The Dry swept me off my feet and I'm pretty sure FON just made sure I didn't get back up on my feet. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read, gripping you with each page turn. I cant recommend this book any more than The Dry, just if you ever pick up a copy be prepared for the twists and turns the books take, allow all of the factors throughout the story to take a hold of you and try your best to figure it all out before you get to the end because as always I did horrific at trying to piece together what had happened until I read it out. I can not leave out the fact once I finished the book and closed the pages I held it to my chest and just sat there stammering like an idiot it had taken that much of an effect on me. It's an easy 5/5 for me and I can't wait to read more of Janes writing as she clearly has such a way with words.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Harper is the author of The Dry, winner of various awards including the 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, the 2017 Indie Award Book of the Year and the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year Award. Rights have been sold in 27 territories worldwide, and film rights optioned to Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne. Force of Nature is Jane’s second novel.
Janeharper.com.au

For further information please contact Grace Vincent, Senior Publicity Manager Grace.Vincent@littlebrown.co.uk / 020 3122 6590

Breaking Bones by Robert White - BLOG TOUR

Synopsis: 

The Streets of Pretson are alive with music and banter.
But nothing can drown out the sound of breaking bones. 

Inseparable since childhood and feared by their community, Tony, Eddie and Frankie are beyond the reach of justice. 

The brutal gang, The Three Dogs, are a law unto themselves. 

Detective Jim Hacker has watched The Dogs grow from thuggish youths to psychotic criminals. He seems to be the only one who wants to see their empire fall. 

Meanwhile Jamie Strange, a young Royal Marine, finds himself embroiled in the lives of The Three Dogs when his girlfriend, Laurie Holland, cuts off their engagement… to be with the most dangerous of The Dogs: Frankie Verdi. 
Jamie Vows to save Laurie, before Frankie damns them both

Every dog will have its day. 

Review:

The prologue we receive allows us as the reader to see the back story and understand a few things and sets us up pretty neatly for what we can expect throughout the story. The plot itself isn't seen to be particularly fast-paced, but it works, delivering a well developed and complex storyline

Character-wise, I found them to be fascinating and this made me want to follow their character arc's to the end. For me and many other people I suppose, characters are what drive a story.  They are there to be loved no matter their overall appearance of being portrayed as villains or the goodies. You can have the best plot in the world but without the right characters to carry it, it can fall flat, right on its face per say. 

There were interesting characters in this novel, but I’ll only write about a few that are really key to me, beginning with The Three Dogs themselves: The novel centres around a criminal gang The Three Dogs. All the way from their early years adolescence through to their adulthood criminal empire. The Three Dogs as a gang, form an interesting mixture of violent gangsters. Preston’s answer to the Krays but set in the 1980s.

The leader of The Three Dogs is Frankie Verdi. A violent psychopath, with no respect for anybody outside of his gang. He's pretty much a terrifying individual, one you would hope never to meet,(and thankfully I havent yet).

Tony Thompson is the biggest in size of all of them, but with learning difficulties, he is merely just the muscle of the organisation and I would say that Tony is the only one of The Dogs that even comes close to having any empathy/sympathy for others.

Finally, we have Eddie Williams, Eddie is a complex character indeed, He is a man living with a secret and a deep obsessional love for womaniser Verdi. He is ruthless with his ambition and devoted to the gang.

All three ‘dogs’ have a extremely strong bond of brotherhood. One that has already withstood many tests. By adulthood the bond is simply unbreakable. Making them an untouchable, savage and brutal gang!

Detective Jim Hacker, the police man working on bringing The Dogs down, is hard-working and I admired his stamina in wanting to deliver justice. Jim Hacker is close personal friends with Harry Strange, meeting when Hacker worked the investigation into Harry’s wife’s death. Harry’s young son Jamie is in the Royal Marines and throughout the novel he comes to face war in the Falklands and the troubles of Northern Ireland but usually with his best friend and fellow squaddie Richard ‘Birdman’ Valance, by his side.  However Jamie is dumped by fiancé Laurie Holland, as he returns to camp after his mother’s funeral and Laurie has set her sights on Frankie Verdi, a decision she will no doubt come to regret.

Laurie’s character has had a turbulent and abusive childhood, leading her to believe that access to power, respect and fear will bring safety! Laurie is sadly misguided in this belief.

As the plot unravels we see all of the characters mature and develop; Jamie experiences the brutality of war, which changes every man it touches, The Three Dogs rise in their criminal enterprises and Laurie learns some harsh truths, as the life of a gangster’s moll. This novel is incredibly detailed, and I most definitely recommend! It has violence, gangs, drug empires and portrays the life of a violent gang kingpin. It vividly depicts how the love of money is the root of all evil! Its an easy 5/5 from me and if you're into gang stories or Martina Cole, Roberta Kray and Stephen Leather. 

About The Author:

Robert White is an Amazon best selling crime fiction author.

His novels regularly appear in the top ten downloads in the Crime and Action and Adventure genres.

Robert is an ex cop, who captures the brutality of northern British streets in his work. He combines believable characters, slick plots and vivid dialogue to immerse the reader in his fast paced story-lines.

He was born in Leeds, England, the illegitimate son of a jazz musician and a factory girl.

He hated school, leaving at age sixteen.

After joining Lancashire Constabulary in 1980, he served for fifteen years, his specialism being Tactical Firearms.

Robert then spent four years in the Middle East before returning to the UK in 2000.

He now lives in Lancashire with his wife Nicola, and his two terrible terriers Flash and Tia.

BOOK TOUR; Power Struggle ( Detective Madison Knight Series #8) - Carolyn Arnold

Synopsis:

One hit man who’s back for revenge.
One detective who’s not going down without a fight.

It’s been ten months since Detective Madison Knight almost died at the hands of Russian Mafia hit man Constantine Romanov. She hasn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he escaped police custody and fled to Russia soon after his arrest, except now her latest murder investigation gives her reason to believe he’s back in town. Seeing as the victim is the man who killed her grandfather, her perspective may be a little skewed, but with the MO smacking of Constantine and the victim’s connections to the mob, she finds it hard to be objective. Still, she’s doing her best to consider all the evidence.

When she receives a threatening letter from Constantine, however, her suspicions are confirmed. And he’s made it abundantly clear that not only does he plan to finish what he started but he has her family and loved ones in the crosshairs, too. Madison vows to do whatever it takes to save them, but as the hours race by, the body count rises. And the stakes only get higher when Madison’s sister, Chelsea, goes missing.

Now, Madison’s only play is to take Chelsea’s disappearance for what it really means: Constantine is calling Madison out for one final showdown. And they won’t both survive…

Review:

10 months previous to where this story begins, Madison Knight was almost killed by a Russian mob hit man by the name of Constantine Romanov and she is just about managing to pull herself back together. With the help of her therapist and the love from her boyfriend she is managing to get better. But suddenly Romanov is back and he wants to finish what he started. 

He announces his arrival to Madison via a letter, in which he threatens to kill her family and all those that she loves. The whole police department and Madison are out looking for him but when Madison's sister, Chelsea goes missing Knight knows that the end is coming.

Having not read this series before now, as it makes a great stand alone I can only assume that this instalment is a brilliant addition to the series. The characters are well defined and I just wished I had read the other books in the series to watch the characters grow and more particularly see Madison tested in her personal and work life. I feel as though if I had read more than one of these books that I would have formed a stronger bond with the characters although this time I felt I had a strong bond with Madison anyway

Although I read this book as a stand alone, and it worked really well, I would recommend starting at the beginning so those things that make a good series aren't missed. 

It's hard not to love a book with a cold hearted villain so with that point alone the book is a high recommendation from me but it's exciting and put me on edge ever so slightly, bodies fall and there's just a great book to be read right there and I can't give it any less than a 5/5. One day maybe I'll go back and read this series from the start. Only having read one book from Carolyn in the past, from her Brandon Fisher FBI series, it's easy to see that Carolyn has a way with words and creates such wonderful and enjoyable books.  Any of Carolyn' work is an easy recommendation to anyone wanting to dip their toes into reading crime or to anyone who already loves reading crime novels and wants to add another book or indeed another 3 series of them to their book shelves. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - Blog Tour Review

Synopsis:

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned -- from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren -- an enigmatic artist and single mother -- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Review:

Little Fires Everywhere absorbed me by the very first page, I had very little to no idea what I was really going in to when I opened this book and that added to my excitement of actually reading it. LFE begins with a fire destroying the Richardson house, and from there the action takes us back to the day that Mia and Pearl arrived in Shaker Heights which really pulled me in and held me down.

Set in the suburb of Shaker Heights, where everything is carefully planned and controlled by it's many rules that the residents must stick to. Your house depending on its type can only be painted a certain colour, your rubbish cant be collected from the front of your house and grass must be cut promptly just to name a few of the restrictive rules. Its clear to see from the to see that any person to move into Shaker Heights who doesn't always fully conform or never does, the effects they would have would cause great damage.

Mrs. Richardson lives by the rules which having been raised by them is no surprise, and she has raised her four children (Lexie, Trip, Moody and Izzy) to abide by them as well. She rents a little apartment in the suburb to Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl who are in comparison, less fortunate. Mia is a free spirited artist who lives her life to the fullest. These women have one thing in common and only this thing and that is that they love their children immensely and accept each other's as their own. These mothers relationships with each other and their family and everyone in the town is threatened when a custody battle ensues between a friend of the Richardsons, Mrs. and Mr. McCullough, who are in the middle of adopting a Chinese American baby and a friend of Mia's, Bebe, who is the birth mother. The battle wrecks havoc on the town and causes incredible strife between the families involved.

As the youngest child of my family this book gives me such an insight and with remain with me for a long time, it has an effect I cant quite explain but it has helped me see things in an ever so differently light which was no surprise but at the same time it was just as much of a surprise.

Little Fires everywhere brought laughter and plenty of tears. It is just that kind of read. I can't recommend this book enough, it's captivating, compelling and full of heart. Celeste Ng's has a wonderful ability to intertwine characters and storylines in a way that is both brilliant and beautiful. I loved every second of this book and cant recommend it to anyone enough, its a definite 5/5 from me and I hope anyone, mother or child would pick up this book and dive into the deep behind the bonds of parent and child.

Thanks to Grace Vincent for allowing me onto this book tour. For this day the following blogs are also taking part.