Title: Billy and Me Author: Giovanna Fletcher Publisher: Penguin Publication Date: 23rd May 2013 Pages: 416 ISBN: 9781405909952 Source: Purchased Rating: 4.5/5 Purchase: Amazon
Sophie May has a secret.
One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.
But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world.
Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?
Today I am kicking off the blog tour for Angela Clarke's Follow Me. Sadly due to personal circumstances I have been unable to write my review and for the foreseeable future will be taking another step back from blogging. For now though I hope you enjoy reading this guest post where Angela talks about developing that first idea into an entire novel. Also, be sure to keep following the blog tour for more guest posts and reviews!
LIKE. SHARE. FOLLOW . . . DIE
The ‘Hashtag Murderer’ posts chilling cryptic clues online, pointing to their next target. Taunting the police. Enthralling the press. Capturing the public’s imagination.
But this is no virtual threat.
As the number of his followers rises, so does the body count.
Eight years ago two young girls did something unforgivable. Now ambitious police officer Nasreen and investigative journalist Freddie are thrown together again in a desperate struggle to catch this cunning, fame-crazed killer. But can they stay one step ahead of him? And can they escape their own past?
Time's running out. Everyone is following the #Murderer. But what if he is following you?
Title: Addicted to Sin Author: Monica James Publisher: Bookouture Publication Date: 8th October 2015 Pages: 360 Source: Review Copy Rating: 4/5 Purchase: Amazon
My name is Dixon Mathews, and I take great pleasure in listening to people unload their dirty little secrets because, let’s face facts, the best secrets are the ones best left untold.
My own addiction? Sex. It really is the best medicine. I’m smart, cocky and easy on the eyes, but I’m also a major bastard. I know I’m a lost cause. I don’t do relationships. I don’t even do the same woman twice. But that’s all about to change, thanks to two entirely different women – Juliet and Madison – who both awaken my deepest desires.
Who will I choose? I know who I should choose, but I never said I was the hero of this story, or even the good guy. And besides, who wants to be good, when it feels so good being bad? My tale isn’t for the faint-hearted. If you’re game, strap yourself in and expect the unexpected. But don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Title: A Girl's Best Friend Author: Lindsey Kelk Publisher: Harper Publication Date: 5th November 2015 Pages: 400 Source: Review Copy Rating: 5/5 Purchase: Amazon
After the crazy six months she’s had, if there was a ‘clear history’ button for your life, Tess Brookes would be the first in line to press it.
When the opportunity arises to join her best friend, Amy, in New York for Christmas, Tess jumps at the chance. The only slight hitch is that Nick, the man who broke her heart, lives there. And Charlie, the man she turned down, has just started talking to her again. And she has just four days to take a photo for a competition that could save her career.
But aside from that, everything is going to be great: it’ll be the best Christmas ever. Won’t it?
Title: Lost Girls (DI Kim Stone, #3) Author: Angela Marsons Publisher: Bookouture Publication Date: 6th November 2015 Pages: 425 Source: Review Copy Rating: 5/5 Purchase: Amazon
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.
When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.
And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.
Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…
Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?
Title: Bloodstream Author: Luca Veste Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Publication Date: 22nd October 2015 Pages: 480 Source: Review Copy Rating: 4/5 Purchase: Amazon
Social media stars Chloe Morrison and Joe Hooper seem to have it all - until their bodies are found following an anonymous phone call to their high-profile agent. Tied and bound to chairs facing each other, their violent deaths cause a media scrum to descend on Liverpool, with DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi assigned to the case.
Murphy is dismissive, but the media pressure intensifies when another couple is found in the same manner as the first. Only this time the killer has left a message. A link to a private video on the internet, and the words 'Nothing stays secret'. It quickly becomes clear that more people will die; that the killer believes secrets and lies within relationships should have deadly consequences...
In the dead of night, three raging fires light up the city skies. It's more than a tragic coincidence. For DI Helen Grace the flames announce the arrival of an evil she has never encountered before.
Because this is no firestarter seeking sick thrills, but something more chilling: a series of careful, calculating acts of murder.
But why were the victims chosen? What's driving the killer? And who will be next?
A powder keg of fear, suspicion and dread has been laid. Now all it needs is a spark to set it off...
Anyone who reads my blog might know that I am a huge Luca Veste fan and so I am incredibly excited to be kicking off the blog tour for his latest Murphy and Rossi novel, and first with his new publishers Simon & Schuster, Bloodstream. Bloodstream is available to buy right now and you can see my review on the blog later this week! Today Luca is talking all about his first day of writing a new book...
Title: A Christmas Kiss Author: Vicky Pattison Publisher: Sphere Publication Date: 22nd October 2015 Pages: 352 Source: Review Copy Rating: 5/5 Purchase: Amazon
Amber Raey is working all the hours God sends as assistant to one of the country's top fashion designers, and her boss is a complete nightmare. Amber's dream is to launch her own fashion line one day so, for the time being, she just has to grin and bear it. And then opportunity comes knocking and Amber's suddenly on the fast track to the top.
The parties, the glamour, a whirlwind romance - Amber loves every second of her new life. But there's more to this world than its glossy exterior suggests, and when a face from Amber's past reappears, she finds herself in real trouble. With Christmas fast approaching, Amber is drifting further and further away from her family and friends. Can she get her life back on track before it's too late for a merry Christmas?
Title: Tennison Author: Lynda La Plante Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK Publication Date: 24th September 2015 Pages: 400 Source: Purchased Rating: 5/5 Purchase: Amazon
From the creator of the award-winning ITV series Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren, comes the fascinating back story of the iconic DCI Jane Tennison.
In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.
Title: After You Author: Jojo Moyes Publisher: Penguin Publication Date: 24th September 2015 Pages: 411 Source: Purchased Rating: 4.5/5 Purchase: Amazon
Lou Clark has lots of questions.
Like how it is she's ended up working in an airport bar, spending every shift watching other people jet off to new places.
Or why the flat she's owned for a year still doesn't feel like home.
Whether her close-knit family can forgive her for what she did eighteen months ago.
And will she ever get over the love of her life.
What Lou does know for certain is that something has to change.
Then, one night, it does.
But does the stranger on her doorstep hold the answers Lou is searching for - or just more questions?
Close the door and life continues: simple, ordered, safe.
Open it and she risks everything.
But Lou once made a promise to live. And if she's going to keep it, she has to invite them in...
Title: Christmas at Lilac Cottage Author: Holly Martin Publication Date: 25th September 2015 Publisher: Bookouture Pages: 350 Source: Review Copy Rating: 4/5 Purchase: Amazon
Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.
When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.
As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore …
While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?
I never imagined that my first blog post after a short blog break would be something like this but just a few days ago I checked Twitter before bed and read the heartbreaking news about Jackie Collins passing away. Anybody who has read my blog regularly will know that Jackie was my favourite author, and when I read the news I just sat there in shock for a while, unable to believe it. Obviously, I didn't know Jackie personally but when you have spent so many years reading an author's books and watching their interviews, it's a huge shock to think that they are no longer there. I think it's only fellow book lovers who can truly understand how it feels, which is why I wanted to write a blog post about this.
Jackie Collins definitely kick-started my love for all things glamour, sex and celebrities. Her books took me right into a world that was so far removed from my own, and my Jackie Collins journey, like a lot of people my age, began in secret with borrowed copies or copies 'acquired' from various places. I very quickly became addicted to them, and eventually started to buy my own copies when I was a little older. Jackie's books became somewhat of a comfort blanket to me; in those dark times or just on those rubbish days we all have, I knew that I could pick up one of her books and for a short while, take my mind off what was happening in my own world and live in a glamorous one instead. To be transported into one of Jackie's worlds is just one of the greatest pleasures I have had in reading and will continue to have. My favourite book of hers, as I've always said, is Chances. That book just blew me away the first time I read it and even now, many rereads later it continues to shock and thrill in equal measure. I also have a huge soft spot for American Star, another huge favourite of mine.
Some of the first Jackie Collins' books that I bought (in an actual shop!) and that weren't borrowed or 'acquired' from various places...
I really fall in love with my characters, even the bad ones. I love getting together with them. They tell me what to do; they take me on a wild and wonderful trip.
Jackie Collins taught me that you can be whoever you want to be. That you should never apologise for who you are, nor should you be ashamed of who you are. She was an inspiration to women around the world, but she was also a little bit of an inspiration to me too. I have never been ashamed to call Jackie my favourite author when asked, and I have never been embarrassed about discussing the books that I love to read, and I like to think that's because of Jackie. She was one of those celebrities who you never heard or read anybody making a bad comment about. Her books, yes, but never Jackie herself. In fact, as she once said, the biggest critics of her books are those who have never read them, and just how true that is. Watching Jackie being interviewed is evidence of just how much she loved writing, and we now know that she kept writing up until the very end, revealing in a recent interview that she was working on a sequel to The Power Trip and, her very own autobiography. I always used to say that a Jackie Collins autobiography would be one of the best ever written.
If you want to achieve your dreams, you must follow them, and the best way to follow them is not to think about wanting to be very rich, but to think about doing something that you really want to do.
I used to love watching Jackie being interviewed. What was always clear was how much she loved life. It's often something that is said when a person passes away, but with Jackie I really understand just what the statement really means. I now have a huge regret that I was unable to attend her last event in London in September, sadly time constraints and life itself got in the way but still, she was a true star and a truly hardworking author who always had time for her fans and what I've always loved is the passion for which she spoke about her books, and how she promoted them so well. I also love how active she was on Twitter and, despite some of the brilliant things that have happened to me since I started the blog in 2014, Jackie Collins showing up in my notifications whether replying, retweeting or with a favourite remains a real highlight. I think I hyperventilated when it first happened! And don't even get me started about when she wished me Happy Birthday! I really am filled with great sadness at the thought of the world losing such a wonderful and much-loved lady. I guess some might find it strange, but I really am heartbroken and hopefully fellow book lovers will understand that. And there's one thing that I know for sure, there will never ever be another author that does it as well as Jackie Collins did. There's some good imitators out there, but nothing is ever better than the original.
I have this theory that people in Hollywood don't read. They read 'Vanity Fair' and then consider themselves terribly well read. I think I can basically write about anybody without getting caught.
This is one of my favourite Jackie Collins interviews, and is really worth watching...
It is with some regret that I edit this post to update people on my blog break. Originally the break was meant to be for a month with the idea of returning with some reviews in October. I have spent the past few months reading books that have been on my TBR for ages and, despite enjoying them, I found it a chore to review them when really, I just wanted to read. The blog took up a lot of hours and if I'm honest, it probably started to take over my life a little bit too much.
With most of my solicited review books reviewed, I think it's time for me to take a longer than planned break (I am not quitting blogging forever, and you can keep up with my reading progress on Goodreads) to remember why I fell in love with reading in the first place. I will still be around on Twitter occasionally and hope to keep the blogging friends I have made over the past year! Any emails about the blog will not be replied to.
Title: The Girl Who Broke the Rules Author: Marnie Riches Publisher: Maze Publication Date: 20th August 2015 Pages: 391 Source: Review Copy Rating: 4.5/5 Purchase: Amazon
When the mutilated bodies of two sex-workers are found in Amsterdam, Chief Inspector van den Bergen must find a brutal murderer before the red-light-district erupts into panic.
Georgina McKenzie is conducting research into pornography among the UK’s most violent sex-offenders but once van den Bergen calls on her criminology expertise, she is only too happy to come running.
The rising death toll forces George and van den Bergen to navigate the labyrinthine worlds of Soho strip-club sleaze and trans-national human trafficking. And with the case growing ever more complicated, George must walk the halls of Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, seeking advice from the brilliant serial murderer, Dr. Silas Holm…
Title: Frantic Author: Katherine Howell Publisher: Pan Publication Date: 23rd November 2010 Pages: 372 Source: Purchased Rating: 3.5/5 Purchase: Amazon
There are worse things than death, though Paramedic Sophie Phillips doesn't think so. She and her work partner constantly revise a list of the worst ways to die, holding the number 1 spot vacant for the death so terrible even they can't imagine it. But Sophie is sure it will cross her path on the streets of Sydney one day.
When Sophie's police officer husband Chris is shot and their baby is kidnapped, Detective Ella Marconi has to fight to get to the truth. Is it revenge by a bereaved father for Sophie's recent failure to save his wife and newborn baby? Or was Chris somehow involved in the police corruption that appears rife in the city?
When the police fail to trace Sophie's son, she takes matters into her own hands and now that she's realised there are worse things than death, nothing will stop her from finding him.
Sixteen-year-old Geneva Settle is running from death. She's just a bright high school student researching a paper on one of her ancestors, but someone sees her as a threat. Someone who will stop at nothing to prevent her from digging up the past. Someone on a mission to kill.
Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are called to the case. They've tracked down some of the world's most brilliant criminals, but this particular hunt is posing more questions than answers. Where will their prey strike next? What is the historic secret he's so desperate to protect? And how can anyone catch a killer who leaves no trace?
Title: The Murder Wall Author: Mari Hannah Publisher: Pan Publication Date: 12th April 2012 Pages: 464 ISBN: 9780330539937 Source: Purchased Rating: 3.5/5 Purchase: Amazon
Eleven months after discovering a brutal double murder in a sleepy Northumbrian town, Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels is still haunted by her failure to solve the case. Then the brutal killing of a man on Newcastle’s Quayside gives Daniels another chance to get it right, and her first case as Senior Investigating Officer.
When Daniels recognises the corpse, but fails to disclose the fact, her personal life swerves dangerously into her professional life. But much worse, she is now being watched.
As Daniels steps closer to finding a killer, a killer is only a breath away from claiming his next victim...
I haven't read much this week and what I am reading is my own books. Books I've owned for ages, or that I've just wanted to read for ages. Not sure what this means for the blog going forward. I am still reviewing them, but probably less in-depth than I do books sent for review. I do have a couple of blog tours coming up and do receive the odd unsolicited review book but for the moment I'm concentrating on reading solely for enjoyment.
