My Week in Books #22 (Month #5)

Goodreads Target

Review: A Book of Scars by William Shaw

Title: A Book of Scars (Breen & Tozer, #3)
Author: William Shaw
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 4th June 2015
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781782064244
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Five years ago, teenager Alexandra Tozer was murdered on her family farm. Her sister Helen Tozer will never forget. Returning home after quitting the Met Police, she brings with her the recovering Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen, who slowly becomes possessed by the unsolved case.

He discovers the Tozers were never told the whole truth. Alexandra was tortured for twenty-four hours before she died. But when he tracks down the original investigating sergeant, the man goes missing. And so does Helen.

Suspicion falls on her. But Breen is on a trail that goes far beyond the death of a schoolgirl. For the two men connected to this case met in Kenya, during the Mau Mau uprising; and the history that Britain has turned its face from is now returning to haunt it.

So when another innocent woman is abducted, Breen knows he has just twenty-four hours to save her.

Review: Only We Know by Karen Perry

Title: Only We Know
Author: Karen Perry
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Publication Date: 4th June 2015
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9780718179601
Source: Lovereading.co.uk
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

In 1982, on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday beneath the stifling heat of the midday sun, three children start a game that ends in tragedy.

Now, thirty years later, Nick, Luke and Katie are estranged, yet still bound together by the dark truth of what happened at the river that day.

Except some secrets won't stay buried.

And when Luke suddenly vanishes and the threatening messages begin, it seems that the strings of the past are tightening around them all. Because someone else knows what they did and is intent on seeking justice, at any cost...

Hall of Fame Review: Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Title: Evil Games (Kim Stone, #2)
Author: Angela Marsons
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 29th May 2015
Pages: 349
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game…

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work.

With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim soon finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

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

Review: I Do Not Sleep by Judy Finnigan

Title: I Do Not Sleep
Author: Judy Finnigan
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: 18th June 2015
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9780751548655
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

There is nothing more powerful than a mother's love.

Five years ago, Molly Gabriel lost her twenty-year-old son, Joey, to a terrible sailing accident. His empty boat was washed ashore on the rocks - but his body was never found.

Now, Molly has returned to the sands of Cornwall haunted by his disappearance, unable to accept he is gone. Joey was an experienced sailor and died on a calm sea - things just don't add up and Molly cannot let it go. Desperate for answers, she turns to Joey's best friend, Ben, to go back to what really happened that day...

Review: Only the Brave by Mel Sherratt

Title: Only the Brave
Author: Mel Sherratt
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 26th May 2015
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781477830628
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

When one of the notorious Johnson brothers is murdered and a bag of money goes missing, a deadly game of cat and mouse is set in motion.

DS Allie Shenton and her team are called in to catch the killer, but the suspects are double-crossing each other and Allie has little time to untangle the web of lies.

As she delves deeper into the case, things take a personal turn when Allie realises she is being stalked by the very same person who attacked her sister seventeen years ago and left her for dead.

Review: Wartime Girls by Anne Baker

Title: Wartime Girls
Author: Anne Baker
Publisher: Headline
Publication Date: 9th April 2015
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9781472212269
Source: bookbridgr
Rating: 3.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

It is the day of the Grand National, 1933, when Susie Ingram's fiance, Danny, is killed in a tragic accident. In a cruel twist of Fate, Susie discovers she is carrying Danny's child and, shunned by his parents, she turns to her mother for support. Louise Ingram, widowed during the First World War, knows how hard it is to bring up a family alone, but with the help of her eldest daughter, Martha, who lives next door, they manage to survive. When little Rosie is born there is no doubt that she is Danny's daughter, but it is destined to take many more years of heartache before the two families are united again...

My Week in Books #21

Goodreads Target

#PaperbackSummer: June, July & August

#PaperbackSummer

Sophie and Suze's #PaperbackSummer is almost here and I can't wait. I have so many paperbacks that I have had for ages but never got around to reading. I also have some that I have wanted to reread for ages and so this summer is going to be the perfect time to do that. I will of course be reading review books at the same time (and probably buying one or two books...) so I don't know how many of the below I will manage but hopefully a lot! I'm not showing a picture of the books I have all over the house as it's quite terrifying, just the ones I might get around to reading!

Author Interview: Rachael Lucas

Today I am sharing a Q&A with Rachael Lucas. Her new novel Coming Up Roses was released yesterday and as you can see from my review, I really enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy reading the Q&A.

1. You had your own gardening blog before becoming a full-time writer, what is it about gardening that you love so much? It seems to be a bit of a trend in Women's Fiction at the minute!

I have always enjoyed being outside and seeing things grow is very rewarding. It also means my children tend to leave me alone in case I ask them to help, so I get time to think!

2. What are some top tips you would give to anybody wanting to get into gardening? My only experience is looking after my grandad's garden when my grandparents go away on holiday and that's pretty nerve-wracking!

Start with something small like a couple of little pots - get some mixed seeds and give it a go. It's really easy to do and in a few weeks you'll have a gorgeous planter full of flowers! Or grow some courgettes in a grow bag - they're simple and yet you end up with something really delicious and feel virtuous and gardener-ish.

Review: Truly, Madly, Greekly by Mandy Baggot

Title: Truly, Madly, Greekly
Author: Mandy Baggot
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 22nd May 2015
Format: eBook
Pages: 331
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn't and everything fell apart...

Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey's big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help clear her head and heal her heart.

But letting go of her past is not going to be easy.

With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive treats on offer at hotel Blue Vueinclude one gorgeous, brooding Adonis – Yan – Ellen finds him difficult to resist.

But Ellen isn't looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo... or is she?

Author Interview: Susan Wilkins

Regular readers will remember how much I loved The Informant, the debut novel from Susan Wilkins. If you read my review earlier of The Mourner, you will see that I loved it even more than its predecessor. Susan Wilkins is reinventing the grit lit genre in an intelligent way, and I can't wait to see what she writes next. For now though, I asked Susan some questions and she gave some brilliant answers, so I hope that you enjoy reading them! The Mourner is released today.

1. How has your television background helped you with your new writing career? And what would you say are the biggest differences - that you have found - between the two?

Firstly, being a professional writer for so many years, writing to quite tight deadlines, helps with discipline and simply being used to sitting in a room on your own all day and writing. But the big benefit is knowing about storytelling structure. The underlying structure of a script has to work or the whole piece falls apart and the audience changes channels. That's provided me with a bedrock for my novel writing. The biggest differences are I have more time, I'm the author of the work– not a director or a producer or an actor – and the people I've dealt with in publishing do seem a whole lot nicer!

Review: The Mourner by Susan Wilkins

Title: The Mourner
Author: Susan Wilkins
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 600
ISBN: 9781447241447
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Kaz Phelps has escaped her brother and her criminal past to become an anonymous art student in Glasgow. But can life under the witness protection scheme ever give her the freedom she craves?

Banged up and brooding, Joey Phelps faces thirty years behind bars. Still, with cash and connections on the outside, can an overstretched prison system really contain him?

Helen Warner, once Kaz's lawyer and lover, is a rising star in Parliament. But has she made the kind of enemies who have no regard for the democratic process, or even the law?

Ousted from the police and paralysed by tragic personal loss, Nicci Armstrong is in danger of going under. Can a job she doesn't want with a private security firm help her to put her life back back on track?

Review: Addicted by Nigel May

Title: Addicted
Author: Nigel May
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 13th May 2015
Pages: 402
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Fame, fortune and five-star luxury. Meet four fabulous women – all of them hold a dark secret… one of them won’t live to tell the tale.

Nancy Arlow – the fading entertainer determined to gamble and charm her way out of a mountain of debt.

Lauren Everett – behind the facade of the perfect politician’s wife lies a woman with an outrageous past and a spiraling drug habit.

Portia Safari – the world famous opera diva, adored by millions, has it all, but could her secret drinking problem cost her everything?

Martha Éclair – The millionaire wine heiress whose appetite for kinky sex could bring down her father’s business empire.

Each woman must face their own addiction before they pay the ultimate price…

Review: We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Title: We Are All Made of Stars
Author: Rowan Coleman
Publisher: Ebury
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780091951382
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Stella Carey exists in a world of night. Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, she leaves the house every evening as Vincent locks himself away, along with the secrets he brought home from the war.

During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones - some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain – and promises to post these messages after their deaths.

Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time…

Review: You Are Dead by Peter James

Title: You Are Dead (Roy Grace, #11)
Author: Peter James
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781447255741
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

The last words Jamie Ball hears from his fiancée, Logan Somerville, are in a terrified mobile phone call. She has just driven into the underground car park beneath the block of flats where they live in Brighton. Then she screams and the phone goes dead. The police are on the scene within minutes, but Logan has vanished, leaving behind her neatly parked car and mobile phone.

That same afternoon, workmen digging up a park in another part of the city, unearth the remains of a woman in her early twenties, who has been dead for thirty years.

At first, to Roy Grace and his team, these two events seem totally unconnected. But then another young woman in Brighton goes missing - and yet another body from the past surfaces.

Meanwhile, an eminent London psychiatrist meets with a man who claims to know information about Logan. And Roy Grace has the chilling realization that this information holds the key to both the past and present crimes . . . Does Brighton have its first serial killer in over eighty years?

Guest Post: The Fatal Flame: A Portrait of Love by Lyndsay Faye

Today I am bringing you a brilliant guest post from Lyndsay Faye, author of one of the most exciting and original trilogies I have read in the past few years. The Fatal Flame is the third and final book in the Timothy Wilde series and my review can be read here. The book itself is available to buy now.

Author Interview: Mason Cross

I'm excited to be sharing a Q&A today with another one of my new favourite authors, Mason Cross, who is the author of the Carter Blake series. The Killing Season is book one and my review can be found here, and I posted my review for The Samaritan earlier today and the book itself is released in eBook on Thursday. I hope you enjoy reading the Q&A and I have a lot more to come in the near future.

1. Can you introduce Carter Blake for those readers who are yet to meet him?

Carter Blake is a free agent who specialises in finding people who don't want to be found. He has a shadowy background in intelligence and special operations which has furnished him with the skills and experience to make him the best at what he does. As we read more about him, we start to get a bit more detail about his past.

2. The Carter Blake series is set in the US. Why do you think so many UK authors choose to set their thrillers outside of the UK?

Good question, and I think there are a few reasons. One of the most important for me was the fact that I've always loved American books and films, and it's always a good idea to write the kind of thing that you enjoy. I also think there is an advantage for UK authors writing about America because we share a language and many of the same cultural touchstones, but we bring an outsider's perspective as well. That's a good thing for writing any fiction, but particularly crime.

Review: The Samaritan by Mason Cross

Title: The Samaritan (Carter Blake, #2)
Author: Mason Cross
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781409146162
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the Santa Monica Mountains, LAPD Detective Jessica Allen knows she's seen this MO before - two and a half years ago on the other side of the country.

A sadistic serial killer has been operating undetected for a decade, preying on lone female drivers who have broken down. The press dub the killer 'the Samaritan', but with no leads and a killer who leaves no traces, the police investigation quickly grinds to a halt.

That's when Carter Blake shows up to volunteer his services. He's a skilled manhunter with an uncanny ability to predict the Samaritan's next moves. At first, Allen and her colleagues are suspicious. After all, their new ally shares some uncomfortable similarities to the man they're tracking. But as the Samaritan takes his slaughter to the next level, Blake must find a way to stop him ... even if it means bringing his own past crashing down on top of him.

My Week in Books #20

Goodreads Target

A slow reading week for me this week with just 4 books read (shameful I know...). I spent much of it either working, sleeping or binge-watching Netflix. But, it's my birthday on Monday so plenty of time for reading!

Review: Coming Up Roses by Rachael Lucas

Title: Coming Up Roses
Author: Rachael Lucas
Publisher: Pan
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 300
ISBN: 9781447265481
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Would-be gardener Daisy can't believe her luck when her parents announce they're off on a midlife-crisis gap year, leaving her in charge of their gorgeous garden. After a turbulent few months, a spell of quiet in the countryside is just what she needs.

A shoulder to cry on wouldn't go amiss either - so when Daisy comes across Elaine and Jo, she breathes a sigh of relief. But her new friends are dealing with dramas of their own . . .

As Daisy wrestles the garden into something resembling order, her feelings for handsome Irishman George, begin to take root. But Daisy's heart's desire - her parent's garden - is under threat, and she is forced to confront nosey neighbours and fight greedy developers. Village life is turning out to be far from peaceful.

Review: The Sun in Her Eyes by Paige Toon

Title: The Sun in Her Eyes
Author: Paige Toon
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781471138416
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Amber was three when a car crash stole her mother's life. She doesn't remember the accident, but a stranger at the scene has been unable to forget. Now, almost thirty years later, she's trying to track Amber down.

Amber, meanwhile, is married to Ned and living on the other side of the world in London. When her father has a stroke, she flies straight home to Australia to be with him. Away from her husband, Amber finds comfort in her oldest friends, but her feelings for Ethan, the gorgeous, green-eyed man she once fell for, have never been platonic.

As Ethan and Amber grow closer, married life in London feels far away. Then Amber receives a letter that changes everything.

'Before your mother died, she asked me to tell you something…'

Review: The Slaughter Man by Tony Parsons

Title: The Slaughter Man (DC Max Wolfe, #2)
Author: Tony Parsons
Publisher: Century
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781780892351
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

On New Year’s Day, a wealthy family is found slaughtered inside their exclusive gated community in north London, their youngest child stolen away.

The murder weapon – a gun for stunning cattle before they are butchered – leads Detective Max Wolfe to a dusty corner of Scotland Yard’s Black Museum devoted to a killer who thirty years ago was known as the Slaughter Man.

But the Slaughter Man has done his time, and is now old and dying. Can he really be back in the game?

And was the murder of a happy family a mindless killing spree, a grotesque homage by a copycat killer – or a contract hit designed to frame a dying man?

All Max knows is that he needs to find the missing child and stop the killer before he destroys another innocent family – or finds his way to his own front door …

Review: All Involved by Ryan Gattis

Title: All Involved
Author: Ryan Gattis
Publisher: Picador
Publication Date: 21st May 2015
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781447283164
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

The 1992 Los Angeles Riots: six days of looting, arson, assault and murder. America's second largest city in chaos.

In All Involved, Ryan Gattis weaves a heart-stopping narrative from the perspectives of characters whose stories of the riots were never told. In six sections, each covering a single day, we follow the intersecting lives of seventeen people: gang members, firefighters, nurses, law enforcement officers and graffiti artists, every one changed for ever.

Though the events of All Involved are fictional, every word is infused with authenticity and intimacy. A propulsive and ambitious novel as electrifying as the television series The Wire, this is a mesmerizing epic of crime and opportunity, race, revenge and loyalty.

Review: The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye

Title: The Fatal Flame (Timothy Wilde, #3)
Author: Lyndsay Faye
Publisher: Headline
Publication Date: 12th May 2015
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781472217387
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

A scarred barman turned copper star, the birth of the NYPD, gangs, murder, brothels and bedlam in the dark underworld of nineteenth-century New York.

Timothy Wilde - copper star, tough with a warm heart, learning his craft as a detective.

Valentine Wilde - Timothy's gregarious, glamorous, depraved rogue of a brother.

Mercy Underhill - The intelligent, creative but unstable love of Timothy's life.

Silky Marsh - The beautiful brothel owner whose scheming knows no bounds.

Against the gritty backdrop of the notorious Five Points in 1848, Timothy Wilde is drawn yet again into a disturbing mystery, leading him to the heart of the Bowery girls, the original 'factory girls' in downtown Manhattan.

Someone is starting fires on the streets of New York and Timothy has to unravel a knot of revenge, murder and blackmail if he's to find out who is behind it all and stop them before the whole city goes up in flames...

Author Interview: Paul Finch

Regular readers of the blog will know that Paul Finch is one of my favourite authors and so I am very excited to be sharing a Q&A with Paul today where he gives some very in-depth answers which I hope you enjoy reading! Paul's latest novel is Hunted which I reviewed recently on the blog as part of the blog tour for the book.

1. Does your background - as a police officer and then as a script-writer - help when it comes to writing your books?

The answer to both those questions is yes. Though Heck’s adventures are entirely fictional, and bear almost no relation to my own time as a police officer, the police world in which he dwells is as believably real as I can make it. I don’t get bogged down in procedure and protocol. Frankly, that would be boring. So much police time is spent engaging in paperwork, sitting in court and so forth. No one would want to read about that. So while I tend to skip that detail, I want to get the nuances right, the street-speak, the interaction between the ranks, the legalese etc. So while I’d never say the Heck novels were realistic in terms of the way they portray crime-fighting – they are action-thrillers after all, I’m very keen on them being authentic. And this is where my own police service comes in. I lived it so I can write it. In fact, when I was first recruited to write for The Bill at the end of the 1990s, I was one of the few writers, if not the only one, who didn’t have to participate in ride-alongs with the Met, as I was already very familiar with day-to-day police life.

As for script-writing, that always helps you as a writer simply because it requires such discipline and tightness of touch. One key thing I learned writing screenplays was to eliminate anything that wasn’t essential, whether that be in terms of drama, plot or character. Anything that doesn’t directly serve the overall aim of producing a crisp, concise, fast-moving narrative with no sag in it whatsoever (hopefully) has to come out. So, though the reader will never see it, most of my Heck novels tend to shed 40-odd thousand words between the first draft and the second draft. I want it tight as a corkscrew. By the same token, all scenes – in novel terms, all chapters – must end on a note of tension. This is not necessarily an explosion or someone hanging off a cliff, but something to raise the stakes, the idea being to sweep the reader along into the next section without him or her stopping for a break. This is definitely something I’ve imported from my script-writing, and I think it’s the main reason my novels are regularly described as “page-turners” or “unputdownable”. It’s very flattering when I read that kind of stuff, and if it’s true, very satisfying.

My Week in Books #19

Goodreads Target

Review & Extract: Hunted by Paul Finch

Title: Hunted
Author: Paul Finch
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780007492336
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Heck needs to watch his back. Because someone’s watching him…

Across the south of England, a series of bizarre but fatal accidents are taking place. So when a local businessman survives a near-drowning but is found burnt alive in his car just weeks later, DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is brought in to investigate.

Soon it appears that other recent deaths might be linked: two thieves that were bitten to death by poisonous spiders, and a driver impaled through the chest with scaffolding.

Accidents do happen but as the body count rises it’s clear that something far more sinister is at play, and it’s coming for Heck too…

Review: Without a Trace by Lesley Pearse

Title: Without a Trace
Author: Lesley Pearse
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780718159078
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Coronation Day, 1953.

In the Somerset village of Sawbridge, young shopkeeper Molly Heywood slips away from the celebrations to her friend's cottage and makes a shocking discovery: Cassie is dead and her six-year-old daughter Petal has vanished without a trace.

In her grief, Molly seeks help from her childhood friend George, now the village policeman, but no one can find Petal. The only clue is a letter from London, where Cassie once lived. Despite George's reluctance and her growing feelings for him, Molly resolves to go to London in the hope of discovering the missing child.

Arriving in the big city, Molly quickly learns it's a dangerous place for a country girl on her own. But there's hope too - in the Blitz-ruined East End, she unexpectedly finds friendship with strangers from Cassie's past and, with handsome, mysterious workman Charley, the possibility of something more.However, the closer Molly gets to the truth, the more perilous her journey becomes. She has given up everything - her home, happiness and a chance at love - all to find Petal. But is she also risking her life?

Review: The Lie by C.L. Taylor

Title: The Lie
Author: C.L. Taylor
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 23rd April 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780007544271
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .

Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.

Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.

Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they've destroyed Jane and everything she loves . . .

Author Interview: Lindsey Kelk

Today I am like a kid at Christmas as I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for Lindsey Kelk's latest book Always the Bridesmaid. You can read my review (my 100th of the year!) here. Also be sure to check out the other stops on the tour.

I think Lindsey has been asked every question going so it was hard to think of good ones, but hopefully you enjoy reading them!

1. Do you get more or less nervous with the release of each book? Can you believe Always the Bridesmaid is your tenth full-length novel?

Oh god, more! I often tell people writing is the only job I’ve ever had where the longer I do it and the more successful I become, the more anxious it makes me. Every time there’s more pressure, I can’t cope! It’s insane to me that this is the tenth book, I still feel like a total chancer. Every time I start writing, it’s as though I’ve forgotten how I did it last time.

2. The blurb gives an idea of what Always the Bridesmaid is about, is there anything you can tell us about the book or Maddie that the blurb doesn't?

It’s funny because, to me, the book really isn’t about being a bridesmaid. It’s more a play on that term – yes, Maddie is asked to be a bridesmaid in the book but the overall idea is that she’s always playing second best in life, to her friends, at her job, in her relationships. I think that’s something we can all relate to at one point or another.

And yes, I can tell you Maddie loves gin and Taylor Swift which might not be in the blurb but if you've ever read my twitter feed, you’ll see where that comes from.

Hall of Fame Review: Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk

Title: Always the Bridesmaid
Author: Lindsey Kelk
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780007582334
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Everyone loves a bridesmaid - except Maddie, who’s perpetually asked to be one.

Everyone loves a wedding - except Maddie’s best friend, who’s getting divorced.

And everyone loves the way Maddie’s so happy behind the scenes - except Maddie herself.

One best friend is in wedding countdown while the other heads for marriage meltdown. And as Maddie juggles her best chance at promotion in years with bridezilla texts and late-night counselling sessions, she starts to wonder – is it time to stop being the bridesmaid.

Author Interview: Steven Dunne

Today I am really excited to be sharing a Q&A with Steven Dunne. Steven's latest book A Killing Moon is released May 7th and my review can be read here.

I hope you enjoy reading the Q&A, as a relatively new 'feature' on the blog it's difficult trying to think of interesting questions. Lots more planned over the coming weeks though so keep an eye out for them.

Review: A Killing Moon by Steven Dunne

Title: A Killing Moon
Author: Steven Dunne
Publisher: Headline
Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9781472214928
Source: bookbridgr
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

For the young woman kidnapped on her way home from the pub, the nightmare is about to begin....

Weeks after Caitlin Kinnear goes missing, the police are unable to break her case. Worse they are not even certain harm has come to her. But determined to pursue all leads, DI Damen Brook and his team begin to trawl through the murky world of cheap migrant labour. Convinced that the answers lie hidden within its depths, Brook soon begins to realise Caitlin is in terrible danger.

When the body of another young girl turns up it becomes clear that Caitlin's abduction might not be an isolated incident and the race is on to save her. But with time running out, can Brook put the pieces together and find Caitlin before it's too late?

Review: World Gone By by Dennis Lehane

Title: World Gone By (Joe Coughlin, #3)
Author: Dennis Lehane
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication Date: 7th May 2015
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781408706695
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

The brilliantly dark new masterpiece from the acclaimed author of Shutter Island and The Given Day

Joe Coughlin is untouchable. Once one of America's most feared and prominent gangsters, he now moves effortlessly between the social elite, politicians, police and the mob. He has everything he could possibly want; money, power, a beautiful mistress, and anonymity.

But in a town that runs on corruption, vengeance and greed, success can't protect Joe from the dark truth of his past -- and ultimately, the wages of a lifetime of sin will finally be paid in full...

Chilling, heart-breaking and gripping, this is the most complex and powerful novel to date from Dennis Lehane.

Review: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Savage Drift
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Publication Date: 1st May 2015
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781444917901
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon

Dean, Alex, and the other survivors of the Monument 14 have escaped the disaster zone and made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Some of the kids have even been reunited with their families and are making tentative plans for the future. Then, Niko learns that his lost love, Josie, has survived ...

For Josie, separated from the group and presumed dead, life has gone from bad to worse. Trapped in a terrible prison camp with other exposed O blood types and traumatized by her experiences,she has given up all hope of rescue.

Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid - along with her two protectors, Dean and Jake - flees the camp to join Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with Josie.

In a stunningly fierce conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy, author Emmy Laybourne ups the stakes even more for a group of kids who have already survived the unthinkable. Can they do so one last time?

My Week in Books #18 (Month #4)

Goodreads Target

Review: Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne

Title: Sky on Fire (Monument 14, #2)
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Publication Date: 7th November 2013
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781444914726
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon

Trapped inside a superstore, fourteen kids have worked together to create a refuge while a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and a terrifying chemical weapons spill, mean they cannot leave. Then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, but also bringing a glimmer of hope.

Knowing that the polluted air outside will turn them into bloodthirsty rage monsters, some of the kids decide to stay in the safety of the store. But their sanctuary has already been disturbed once...

The others, determined to find their parents, head out into the darkness and devastation in their recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety.

But the outside world is even worse than they expected...