Radar Road: The Best of On Impulse - Nath Jones

Synopsis:

Radar Road: the Best of On Impulse highlights an exploration of twenty-first century narrative. In four collections that move from raw to refined, the On Impulse series invites the reader to contemplate how we use language now: online, in full-length books, and with each other. Morgan Kiger arranged this fifth collection to stand on its own while showcasing the series's original trajectory from catharsis to craft.

Review:

Nath Jones dissects human life through her work, showing us it all in his guts and glory. As a result we see many of the stories lying parallel with real human lives both witnessed and imagined.

In this collection we play witness to the beauty of ageing lovers, the magic of a child’s perspective, the blight of sudden change and the uncommon kindness of neighbourhood and community. Although there are so many people through this book there is a common thing shared by all the women, they are at first seen as the soft, couldn't hurt a fly type, harmless and innocent but they go to show their true hardness bought on by resilience and strength.

Through  the writing in all of these short stories which vary in length and mood, Nath allows us as a reader to look at lives intimately through a window which makes the read even more entertaining. Each person felt incredibly real to me, their experiences taking their toll on me as i read on and on.  I felt a few rang familiar to me, emotions i knew of, experiences that rang all too clearly in my head which only made me love Nath' writing more as everything was so accurately represented.

Some of the stories have some great lines and smart twists that come that kind of made me sit back going 'oh damn' for a solid six minutes... Having read this collection, I really want to read more of Nath' work because I'm so in love and intrigued with what other things Nath can make me feel and experience through her work.

 Without a doubt this book, collection of short stories and a few poem like entries deserves a 5/5. Its down to the relatability of all that was within and even then there is no reason to take the rating any lower.

Wrecking Ball: A Big Lad From a Small Island - Billy Vunipola

Synopsis:

Wrecking Ball is a captivating and humorous memoir by Billy Vunipola, one of the stars of England's recent rugby renaissance, and will be enjoyed by those who have read the recent autobiographies by Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing almost 20 stone, Billy is a rampaging and unmissable presence on the rugby pitch, for both club and country.

Wrecking Ball is his captivating story so far, chronicling his remarkable personal odyssey of 10,000 miles, from the tiny Tongan village of Longo Longo to the imposing vastness of Twickenham.

Join Billy on his journey from the year-round sunshine of Tonga to the bitter cold of a British winter, from his favourite Pontypool kebab shop to finding himself eating broccoli for breakfast, and from carefree childhood games in the middle of the Pacific to the serious business of playing professional rugby in Europe.

Wrecking Ball is a wonderfully eccentric and witty book, written with bags of charm. It captures Billy's colourful family and upbringing, and creates a rounded and fascinating portrait of a young man finding his feet as a modern English rugby player.

Review:

I'm going to have to try and contain myself as I write this review, as some people may know I'm a huge fan of the England Rugby team and well Billy Vunipola is one of the members of the team so when I saw he had a book out about his life and his story so far I just had to grab a copy and ahhhh!!! Okay so I've wanted to read the autobiographies of Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell whom are some kick ass players but I never actually got my hands on any copies even though I'd see the covers everywhere but I couldn't not pick up Billy's book and I'm sure ill go an pick up copies of the other autobiographies some time.

So Billy plays number 8 for England and Saracens and if you saw him and his older brother Mako you'd probably have a pre judgement on them by their sheer size Billy is past 6ft tall and nearly 20 stone so already with that information you're probably sizing him up and backing away from the guy, but honestly although he makes big hits and can probably make severe dents in opposing teams defence he's actually a great guy.

This book about his upbringing from the moment his father set foot on English soil all the way to the 2017 British and Irish Lions Tour of which he had to miss due to injury, we watch as Billy grows up facing many challenges and a huge amount of running!
Before I even went into this autobiography I knew a few things about Billy, like he was born in Sydney and as he grew up could have played for either Australia, Wales or England professionally, I knew of some injuries he had sustained through his career and how some other very well known rugby players had grown up with him (which is always such a great thing to see) but this book kind of opened the doors wider, it showed us the Tongan culture and way of life that Billy and Mako grew up in as well as all the other issues like his first real fight, his debut at Wasps and more things alike.

Throughout reading this, I've laughed and cried with Billy, realising so many things about such a great player that I didn't know before, feeling every emotion he must have experience through each of his experiences as a kid. I've never really felt so attached to someone in such a way that I now do with billy because although I don't personally know the man nor have I met him, this book he wrote for fans and other alike really allowed us to see that even though he is a professional rugby player who is in the public eye a lot, he is still human who has had to fight to get to where he is and has struggled but fought tooth and nail for all he has.

Its an emotional read but intriguing and very eye opening, I loved getting to know more about Billy and his upbringing as well as his family and the culture of which he grew up in before coming to England. I can give this read and easy 5/5 without question and recommend it to any fans of Rugby to any degree. Now I'm off to binge buy every other rugby player autobiography I can and then binge read and fangirl for days.

Happyland: A Fairy Tale in Two Parts - Tes Mekonnen

Synopsis:

Would you like to court me to Happyland?" Prince Gobbledygook asks Lily Marshmallow and himself. Therein the journey begins to find Happyland. Follow him as he tries to define happiness with a little help from his friends, Big Wig Sophisticated Pig, Brutus Beaujolais and Cornelius Wordbook, an English gentleman with a book-for-a-head. Prince Gobbledygook duels, loses his ladylove, regains his original name and gains a friendship that will last for fourforevers. Will they make it to Happyland?

Review:

This book was definitely different to other books I have ever read, like ever. To some, some of the language in the beginning of the book can throw you off and confused you, but after you get used to it the story flows right along with the unique writing style. For me, I seemed to be pretty well absorbed into the book and the language that confused some readers just seemed to click with me which was strangely amusing somehow. The language used and the illustrations that come with, I think it really fit the story because it is a very quirky story, one that I don't think I've ever really heard of before. I think that the story was super cute and very much enjoyable.

On the surface, the story tells of the inexplicably sad Lily Marshmallow, who is discovered by Prince Goobledygook and led henceforth to a promised land of sorts, known to the Prince as Happyland. Some may say it looks like the usual prince meets potential princess but indeed it is not the case here, this book is much much more.

I thought the illustrations were absolutely gorgeous, and its worth it to just read this for that alone. I think its some of my absolute favourite artwork I have seen ever, and I am so glad it was included in the novel. I must appreciate Anthony Resto and all the illustrations throughout the book, they really helped bring the characters and story to life.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I loved all of the quirky characters and the different writing style as well as the unique setting. I love the little 'Morals' we get to read at the end of each sort of scene/chapter. 

LILY MARSHMALLOW IS NOT AN OBJECT OR SOME WEAK WOMAN THAT REQUIRES A MAN TO SAVE HER. SHE IS LIFE. PRINCE GOBBLEDYGOOK IS IN SOME SORT OF PURGATORY AND SHE IS HIS MIRROR. I MUST EMPHASIZE THIS—LILY MARSHMALLOW IS LIFE AND LIFE DOESN’T TALK AND WE ALL WANT TO FIGHT FOR IT. I TRIED TO INFUSE MY PHILOSOPHY INTO HAPPYLAND. 

PRINCE GOBBLEDYGOOK IS THE NOW.

LILY MARSHMALLOW IS LIFE.

ADOLFO DUMFRIES IS FUTURE (A CAUTIONARY TALE).

LEOPOLD BALTHAZAR II IS PAST. 

THIS STORY MIGHT BE FICTITIOUS, BUT IT EXPLAINS MY JOURNEY FOR SEEKING HAPPINESS.

THANK YOU, 

TES MEKONNEN

The story also posed some philosophical questions related to our own understanding on the concept of happiness. The story sees the characters searching desperately for Happyland, and towards the end of the book, discussing the value of happiness in relation to both money and selflessness. These instances provide a moral framework to the tale, and allows the reader to think about how the events that take place in the characters’ journeys may relate to their own lives today.

This book is great, looking past what we see at face value, it's food for thought which always makes me love the book more. I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 and I don't dislike anything about the story or anything i just for some reason cant give it a solid 5, which I would if I could.

Also a huge thanks to Tes Mekonnen who provided me with a copy of the book for a honest review, it's lovely to be trusted with work that had taken time and love to craft. It's an honour.

The Rogue's Fate - Missy De Graff

Synopsis:

If your life hung in the balance, would you choose to make your own destiny or leave your life to fate?

Lucinda Raven is being hunted by her ex-lover, a controlling rogue Alpha, who is determined to perform the sacred mating ritual that will bind them together forever. Knowing nothing will keep him from carrying out his ruthless plan, Lucinda is on the run and seeks refuge in the territory of an old friend.

Caidan Moone, cursed Alpha of the Blood Moone Pack, has a tortured history that haunts him daily. He sees the arrival of this beautiful and alluring nomad as a chance at redemption from his prior failures and invites her to stay, despite the danger it brings to the entire pack.

As Caidan and Lucinda grow closer, her two worlds collide and Lucinda must face the events of her dark past in order to save the future. Will Caidan be able to protect her without sacrificing his pack? Or will she end up bearing the mark of her psychotic ex?


Review:

I must admit my expectations were very average for this book before I went into it of course. I don't often read werewolf/shifter books so of course this was a sort of breath of fresh air for my reading head. what is great about is this book has been written by an author who was able to give the whole werewolf thing a twist that gives anyone reading its a pleasant surprise.

The plot was well thought through and very well executed with many nice twists a long the way, The new twist to the werewolf book scene allows the author to take the story to a whole new level, The pacing was perfect, It was never a victim of rushing through the story missing out details and all the good stuff or drugging it out for too long to make it enjoyable.

Lucinda is a very like able character, you can't help but feel for her and her situation. It's a clear representation of being caught between a rock and a hard place and She doesn't understand the actions of Dylan but is determined to make the best of her life and what she's got. She will Stop at nothing to do what she feels is best for those she cares for and loves, even when those people would happily leave her to fend for herself. Lucinda is a strong character I held to. It was lovely to see her grow throughout the book.

Caidan is what I like to call a 'typical' alpha werewolf, driven by hard honour and what he thinks is right even If he cant seem to make sense of any situation.

As said previously, as a werewolf /shifter book It's great s has a lot of action and a heavy amount of romance running throughout. Thanks to the new twist Missy bought to the table, the book is above any of the usual 'shifter' Stories. I massively enjoyed this breath of fresh air to my reading habits and I definitely recommend this book to any far of the paranormal (werewolf (shifter needs.
A well deserved 5/5 from me and I'd like to thank Renzo Boggio from Inkitt for bringing this book to my attention.

Strife (Third Book of the Nameless Chronicle) - M.T.Miller

Synopsis:

Babylon is under new Management.
It’s not easy being king, even for a god. Four months after defeating the old Management and taking his place at the top, the actions of the risen amnesiac god known as the Nameless are catching up with him. Within the post-apocalyptic pyramid city of Babylon, dissent festers. Gangs and old enemies put up their last stands while the Nameless tries to pull the city out of the gutter and build a better life for his citizens.

But pressure comes from outside as well. To the west, the so-called One True Church of America is building up to one grand push for dominance. From deep within the swamps of Louisiana, the New Voodoo Movement also begins to put its shadowy hand in the mix.
The fuse has been burning for far too long, and the powder keg is about to explode. In the fire of the blast, the Nameless’ immortality will be put to the test.

But even if he survives, will he want to live in the world he’s created?

Review:

The first two books of the Nameless Chronicle show us Nameless as he struggles just to survive whilst along the way stumbling into adventure, some wealth and other kinds of success. He never seemed to have much of a plan for anything, but things worked out in his favour eventually, and at a great cost. But after the great success, if that is what we are calling it, after Ascent, Nameless isn't worried about survival, he doesn't have to, he isn't worried about doing anything more than existing this time and for the first time in his life (can we use that phrase in relation to Nameless?) he's got time for plans and they're not just plans for himself, but for the citizens of the Pyramid too. Things don't go so well for him this way but man, what character growth. Really, there are depths to Nameless that may not surprise readers, it makes sense that they exist, but we've never had the opportunity to see it before.

There are two other cities on the post-apocalyptic landscape, New Orleans and the White City. New Orleans is full of the New Voodoo Movement, and the White City is the home base of the One True Church of America, religious movements that Nameless doesn't have a good track record with, and has done a lot to try to get rid of. Now both of these cities have plans for Babylon and Nameless but it's clear that pretty much all the White City wants out of them is woeful surrender. As with most, that's just not going to sit well with Nameless. Now Nameless has to look at the world that he's helped to create, but he has a chance to reshape it, and save the city he's adopted.

There's a lot of exploration into what makes Nameless tick and his origins in this book, but the focus is on what he's going to do next and why. This is only the third book in the series, and I can't really pinpoint and explain what the "typical" Nameless book is, whatever I'd say if I could,  this isn't it. I don't know how to really talk about it without pulling apart the plot and laying it all out in front of you and we all know that's not how I do things here. There are old friends and new, old threats and new (and some old friends are new threats and vice versa). Which is not to say that the core of Nameless a ruthless, skillful killer of all in his way isn't there, he is and he does. But there's a little more to him than just that.

Having read all of Millers books so far from the first book in the Nameless Chronicle to A Strange Chemistry which is a tale from the world of the Nameless Chronicle, I can happily say I'm hooked with how Miller writes, he seems to have a way with words and I can tell he's becoming more and more mature with how he writes which is so good to witness.

If you want to read The Nameless Chronicle, go from the foundations up, from the start and right through to now, don't start here. I feel like as a reader you would need all that had happened to a character and all of his experiences to understand who he is now, if that makes any sense? If Miller can keep this series going Id be a happy bunny, I can't wait to see where he goes from here but if he can't, I'm more than satisfied with where things are left and the journey we have seen. A very satisfying ending after a good mix of thrills, fighting and character growth. I cant award this book anything less than a 5/5. Miller has a way with words and I hope some readers will give him a show to impress them, he brings a great balance of lightness and darkness in his stories.

I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion.

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.