Crikey A Bodyguard

Author – Kathryn Freeman.

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Kathryn Freeman

Social Media Links –

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Publisher – Choc Lit

Pages – 329

The Blurb –

She’s got the brains, he’s got the muscle …
When Kelly Bridge’s parents insist on employing a bodyguard for her protection, she’s not happy. Okay, so maybe not every woman is on the cusp of developing a vaccine against a potential biological terrorist attack – but crikey, it’s not like she’s a celebrity!

Ben Jacobs flunked spectacularly out of school, so he knows his new client Dr Kelly Bridge spells trouble for him. But on a conference trip to Rome he finds things are worse than he thought. Not only is he falling for the brilliant scientist, he’s also become horribly aware she’s in grave danger. As they go on the run, dodging bullets and kidnappers, can he resist his feelings and keep her safe?

Today is my stop on the Crikey a Bodyguard blog tour.  Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the first book I have read by Kathryn Freeman and I really enjoyed it.  The characters are very believable and the story is a page turner.

Kelly is a brilliant scientist and is close to developing a sought after vaccine, so when she thinks she is being followed, her parents insist on hiring her a bodyguard.  So enters Ben, a witty, strong soldier that doesn’t understand one iota of science.  A failure at school, and injured in the army, he is now working for Panther on security missions.

Kelly and Ben have nothing in common, but as always opposites attract and as the threat level increases so does their friendship.  Ben has seen this all before, been caught up in the crossfire and drawn to the women he is protecting.  So is their relationship over before its even started and who is trying to kidnap her?

The book also contains a preview of Oh Crumbs, which can win by entering the competition below.

Author Giveaway –

Giveaway to Win a PB copy of Oh Crumbs (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

To enter click here

Purchase Links –

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P43K6RH

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P43K6RH

Advertisements

Cover Reveal – The Road To Cromer Pier

Author – Martin Gore.

I am a 61 year old Accountant who semi-retired to explore my love of creative writing. In my career I held Board level jobs for over twenty five years, in private, public and third sector organisations. I was born in Coventry, a city then dominated by the car industry and high volume manufacturing. Jaguar, Triumph, Talbot, Rolls Royce, Courtaulds, Massey Ferguson were the major employers, to name but a few.

When I was nine year’s old I told my long suffering mother that as I liked English composition and drama I was going to be a Playwright. She told me that I should work hard at school and get a proper job. She was right of course.

I started as an Office Junior at Jaguar in 1973 at eleven pounds sixty four a week. I thus grew up in the strike torn, class divided seventies. My first career ended in 2015, when I semi retired as Director of Corporate services at Humberside Probation. My second career, as a Non Executive Director, is great as it has allowed me free time to travel and indulge my passion for writing, both in novels and for theatre.

The opportunity to rekindle my interest in writing came in 2009, when I wrote my first pantomime, Cinderella, for my home group, the Walkington Pantomime Players. I have now written eight. I love theatre, particularly musical theatre, and completed the Hull Truck Theatre Playwrite course in 2010. My first play, a comedy called He’s Behind You, had its first highly successful showing in January 2016, so I intend to move forward in all three creative areas.

Pen Pals was my first novel, but a second, The Road to Cromer Pier, will be released in the Summer of 2019.
I’m an old fashioned writer I guess. I want you to laugh and to cry. I want you to believe in my characters, and feel that my stories have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfactory ending.

Social Media Links –

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AuthorGore

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Gore-Author-1237780169706466/

Pages – 248

The Blurb –

Janet’s first love arrives out of the blue after forty years. Those were simpler times for them both. Sunny childhood beach holidays, fish and chips and big copper pennies clunking into one armed bandits.

The Wells family has run the Cromer Pier Summertime Special Show for generations. But it’s now 2009 and the recession is biting hard. Owner Janet Wells and daughter Karen are facing an uncertain future. The show must go on, and Janet gambles on a fading talent show star. But both the star and the other cast members have their demons. This is a story of love, loyalty and luvvies. The road to Cromer Pier might be the end of their careers, or it might just be a new beginning.

Purchase Links –

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

The First Lie

Author – A. J.Park

After studying literature, linguistics and Spanish at university, AJ Park trained as an English teacher and actor. He has edited magazines and taught English, Media Studies and Drama in secondary schools in England. He was also a competitive fencer for seven years.

A. J. Park

Social Media Links –

Twitter @AJParkauthor

Facebook KarlVadaszffy

www.karlvad.com

Publisher – Orion

Pages – 320

The Blurb –

We’ve all had sleepless nights thinking about it.
You’re home alone. Someone breaks in.
In defending yourself, you end up killing the intruder.
Now you’re the one the police want.

That is the situation that criminal barrister Paul Reeve arrives home to find.
His wife Alice stands in the bedroom, clutching a bloodied letter opener in her shaking hand.

“What have you done, Alice?”
“I didn’t have a choice…”

We would all believe the person we love most.
But would we all make the same choice Paul and Alice make next…?

Purchase Links –

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Lie-addictive-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B07NLCMD44/

US – https://www.amazon.com/First-Lie-addictive-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B07NLCMD44/

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-first-lie/a-j-park/9781409187424

The Art of Sherlock Holmes

Author –

Phil Growick
The project was conceived by and is curated by Phil Growick. Phil ran one of the world’s leading executive search firms in the advertising industry. Phil’s network in the creative world is unparalleled which is perfect for artist acquisition. Now living in West Palm, Phil is heavily involved in the local art community and as a two-time Sherlock Holmes novelist came up with the concept of combining two of his passions – art and Holmes.

“You’re presented with murder, theft, treason, betrayal, love, loss and greed. All the ingredients to make a delicious Holmes meal of mystery: inimitable interpretations of truly unique Holmes stories.”

Social Media Links –

You can find Phil Growick here:
Blog: https://holmesandwatsonandi.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilGrowick
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/thesecretjournalofdrwatson
Instagram: www.instagram.com/philgrowick/

Publisher –

MX is the world’s largest Sherlock Holmes publisher. The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories is the world’s largest new Sherlock stories collection with twelve bestselling volumes in the last four years – with three more volumes due in May 2019. Over 100 authors have taken part in the anthology including NY Times best sellers Lee Child, Jonathan Kellerman, Lyndsay Faye and Bonnie MacBird.

The collection raises money for the Stepping Stones School ( a school for children with learning disabilities) at Undershaw, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home which carries the Estate’s Conan Doyle Seal. The collection has overwhelming support from leading Sherlockians worldwide. MX are in a perfect position to bring the best in Holmes fiction and the Sherlock fan base to the project.

MX’ other project is the Happy Life Children’s Home in Nairobi, Kenya. Twinned with Stepping Stones, Happy Life has saved the lives of over 600 abandoned babies in the last two decades. The project has expanded to include a school and paediatric hospital.

MX Publishing on Social Media:
Website:  http://mxpublishing.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mxpublishing
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MXPublishing/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mxpublishing/
Instagram – The Art of Sherlock Holmes: www.instagram.com/artofsherlock/

Pages – 252

The Blurb –

The Art of Sherlock Holmes is a totally unique experience. Imagine a dozen or more of the finest artists in the U.S. creating art for some the best new short stories written by some of the finest Holmes authors in the world. Each artist has envisioned their version of one story specifically selected for them. All stories and art in one large, hardcover, coffee table presentation volume. This first edition features artists from West Palm Beach, Florida. Future editions will be global, with participating artists contributing from all over the world. The Art of Sherlock Holmes was conceived and curated by Phil Growick, himself a renowned Holmes author.

Today is my stop on The Art of Sherlock Holmes blog tour.  Many thanks to Caroline Vincent for the opportunity to read and review.

My thoughts – I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan so was very excited to be able to read this book.  I can imagine writing a story using such a huge literary character must be quite daunting, but this isn’t evident in the book.  All the stories are worthy of the character and feel very authentic.

This is a beautiful book, which is a collection of new Sherlock Holmes stories written by several different authors.  There are sixteen different stories in the book and each of them is introduced by a art work that is inspired by the following story.  

The art works are all very diverse and use different methods to convey the themes of the stories that they are portraying.

Purchase Links –

‘The Art of Sherlock Holmes’ is available at Amazon: viewbook.at/TheArtofSherlockHolmes

 

 

House of Skin

Author – Jonathan Janz.

Jonathan Janz grew up between a dark forest and a graveyard, which explains everything. Brian Keene named his debut novel The Sorrows “the best horror novel of 2012.” The Library Journal deemed his follow-up, House of Skin, “reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story” Since then Jonathan’s work has been lauded by writers like Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Tim Waggoner, Bryan Smith, and Ronald Kelly. Novels like The Nightmare Girl, Wolf Land, Savage Species, and Dust Devils prompted Thunderstorm Books to sign Jonathan to an eleven-book deal and to give him his own imprint, Jonathan Janz’s Shadow Side. His novel Children of the Dark received a starred review in Booklist and was chosen by their board as one of the Top Ten Horror Books of the Year (August 2015-September 2016). Children of the Dark will soon be translated into German and has been championed by the Library Journal, the School Library Journal, and Cemetery Dance. In early 2017, his novel Exorcist Falls was released to critical acclaim. Jonathan’s primary interests are his wonderful wife and his three amazing children, and though he realizes that every author’s wife and children are wonderful and amazing, in this case the cliché happens to be true. You can learn more about Janz at http://www.jonathanjanz.com.

Jonathan Janz

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @JonathanJanz

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Pages -304

The Blurb –

Myles Carver is dead. Myles’s wife, Annabel, is dead too, but she is also waiting, lying in her grave in the woods. For nearly half a century she was responsible for a nightmarish reign of terror, and she’s not prepared to stop now. She is hungry to live again…and her unsuspecting nephew, Paul, will be the key.

Today is my stop on the House of Skin blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I was so pleased to be able to review this book after reviewing another of Jonathan’s books The Dark Game.  I loved that one and I loved this one too.

This one works through two stories that merge together, Paul has just inherited Watermere from his uncle.  Seeing it as a way out of a life he hates, he just ups and leaves his old life and moves into the grand house.  Unaware that the town despises his family.

Once he arrives, he discovers his lawyer has disappeared while dropping the keys off to his house, and his house makes strange noises.

The book switches from Paul’s story to that of his uncle and his time in the house with his wife Annabel.

What I loved about this book is the slow burns, as we get to know the characters and find out the secrets that the house holds.  It truly is a horror and some of the scenes were very gruesome but its what I’d expect from a horror, I want to be scared and my imagination stretched, even that way!

Also in the book is a really interesting Q and A with Jonanthan Janz where he talks about his inspiration for the book and his influences for writing.

This is an excellent read and I look forward to reading all of Jonathan’s books.

Purchase Links – House of Skin

Rough and Deadly

Author –

Paula Williams is living her dream. She’s written all her life – her earliest efforts involved blackmailing her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in her plays and pageants. But it’s only in recent years that she discovered to her surprise that people with better judgement than her brothers actually liked what she wrote and were prepared to pay her for it.

Now, she writes every day in a lovely, book-lined study in her home in Somerset, where she lives with her husband and a handsome but not always obedient rescue Dalmatian called Duke. She started out writing fiction for women’s magazines (and still does) but has recently branched out into longer fiction. She also writes a monthly column, Ideas Store, for the writers’ magazines, Writers’ Forum.

But, as with the best of dreams, she worries that one day she’s going to wake up and find she still has to bully her brothers into reading ‘the play what she wrote’.

Paula Williams

Social Media Links –

Paula Williams is living her dream. She’s written all her life – her earliest efforts involved blackmailing her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in her plays and pageants. But it’s only in recent years that she discovered to her surprise that people with better judgement than her brothers actually liked what she wrote and were prepared to pay her for it.

Now, she writes every day in a lovely, book-lined study in her home in Somerset, where she lives with her husband and a handsome but not always obedient rescue Dalmatian called Duke. She started out writing fiction for women’s magazines (and still does) but has recently branched out into longer fiction. She also writes a monthly column, Ideas Store, for the writers’ magazines, Writers’ Forum.

But, as with the best of dreams, she worries that one day she’s going to wake up and find she still has to bully her brothers into reading ‘the play what she wrote’.

Publisher – Crooked Cat Books

Pages – 233

The Blurb –

Everyone knows Abe Compton’s Headbender cider is as rough as a cider can get. But is it deadly?

When self-styled ‘lady of the manor’, Margot Duckett-Trimble, announces she wouldn’t be seen dead drinking the stuff, who could have foreseen that, only a few days later, she’d be found, face down, in a vat of it?

Kat Latcham’s no stranger to murder. Indeed, the once ‘sleepy’ Somerset village of Much Winchmoor is fast gaining a reputation as the murder capital of the West Country and is ‘as sleepy as a kid on Christmas Eve’ when it’s discovered there’s a murderer running loose in the community again.

Kat has known Abe all her life, and she is sure that, although he had motive, he didn’t kill Margot. But as she investigates, the murderer strikes again. And the closer Kat gets to finding out who the real killer is, the closer to danger she becomes.

This second Much Winchmoor mystery is once again spiked with humour and sprinkled with romance – plus a cast of colourful characters, including a manic little dog called Prescott whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.

Today is my stop on the Rough and Deadly blog tour.  Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review.

My thoughts – I absolutely loved the first book in the Much Winchmoor Series Murder Served Cold, it was one of my favourites from 2019, so I was over the moon to be able to review Rough and Deadly the second in the series.

It was really good to find myself back in Much Winchmoor with Katie (sorry Kat!), she is still living with her parents, still in debt, hasn’t found a full time job and her relationship with Will has cooled.

Much to her annoyance she still helps out her mother in her hair salon, dealing with the elderly woman of the village with their perms and their spreading of gossip.  The village’s main gossip Elsie, is now housebound and her annoying dog needs walking, and now Kat finds her volunteered to look after Elsie and her dog.  I love the character of Elsie, I can just imagine her sitting in her arm chair throwing out her orders, whilst still knowing everything that happens within Much Winchmoor. One of my favourite things are her phrases, coffee gives her ‘paltry-pations’ and someone’s wife died from ‘new-monials’, reading their conversations always made me smile.

This book concentrates on the murder of Margot Duckett-Trimble who is found drowned in a vat of cider.  Kat finds the journalist in her asking questions of everyone in the village, finding out their alibis and questioning their motives.  Also things aren’t rosy with her parents, her auntie Tanya has turned up and being a nasty piece of work, she has caused ructions between them.

I really enjoyed this book and really hope that a third will be on its way.

Purchase Link –

https://mybook.to/roughanddeadly

A Matter of Latitude

Author –

Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of original fiction across a range of genres, including psychological thrillers, gripping mysteries, captivating travel fiction and hilarious dark satire.

Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey’s life and works has culminated in the biographical novel, The Unlikely Occultist.

Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Many of her novels are set on the islands, including The Drago Tree, which was released in 2015 and is now in Spanish translation, Clarissa’s Warning and A Matter of Latitude. These novels are setting rich and fall into the broad genre of travel fiction, and the novels are as much stories about the islands themselves as they are straight-ahead entertainment.

Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. Some of her writing is dark, like the psychological thriller, Twerk, which is based on six years of research and first-hand accounts of dancers working in what are euphemistically called gentlemen’s clubs.

A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives near Melbourne, Australia.

Isobel Blackthorn

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/Lovesick.Isobel.Blackthorn/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5768657.Isobel_Blackthorn

https://twitter.com/IBlackthorn

https://www.instagram.com/isobelblackthorn/

Publisher – Creativia

Pages – 493

The Blurb –

From the acclaimed author of The Drago Tree comes a riveting thriller about survival, revenge and long-hidden secrets.

When local Lanzarote anti-corruption activist, Celestino, is T-boned on a lonely stretch of road, he knows the collision was no accident.

Wounded and fearing for his life, he hides in an abandoned fishing village, waiting for a chance to make it home. Meanwhile his wife, English expat Paula, is distraught. Her pursuit of answers is deflected when her neighbor, troublesome retiree Shirley Mobad, co-opts Paula on her escapades around the Canary Islands.

Paula’s search for her husband quickly descends into mayhem, danger and intrigue. Before long, she realizes she’s being followed. She needs answers, and fast.

But where is Celestino, and will he ever make it back alive?

“A Matter of Latitude simmers with danger, betrayal and treachery, drawing the reader into the island’s history of shady dealings and uneasy relationships between natives, tourists and expats… Isobel Blackthorn has crafted an atmospheric and setting-rich novel with alluring lyrical style.” – Sandi Wallace, award-winning crime fiction author.

Today is my stop on the A Matter of Latitude blog tour.  Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

 

My thoughts – This book in set in Lanzarote and the author paints a beautiful description of the island.   I found the local’s attitude to tourism fascinating, their quiet little island taken over all in the name of money.  Their way of life taken over by the commercial sector and the economical ramifications of this are explored by the conversations Paula has with Bill and Celestino.

The story is mainly told from Paula’s point of view as she tries to find Celestino after he fails to come home for their daughter’s birthday party. As she continues her search, we find out about their history as a couple.  Unknown to Paula, Celestino is trying to find his way home.

Purchase Links –

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KWM65GY

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KWM65GY