Tears Of Fire

Author – Gordon Bickerstaff.

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. I studied biochemistry, and I’ve worked in several Scottish Universities where I did research on enzymes and taught biochemistry. After thirty years of teaching and research I retired my academic pen and took of a fiction pen.

I write medical-themed thrillers. Deadly Secrets was published in 2013, and was followed by Everything To Lose in 2014, The Black Fox in 2015, Toxic Minds in 2016, Tabula Rasa in 2017 and Tears of Fire in 2018. I live in central Scotland with my wife and we enjoy reading, writing, and walking in the hills.

Gordon Bickerstaff

Social Media Links –

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gordon-bickerstaff  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012357701552     

Twitter:  @GFBickerstaff

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5776209.Gordon_Bickerstaff

Website: http://bit.ly/1g4gEoa

Pages – 366

The Blurb –

Conspiracy. Espionage. Spy Story. 

Two serial killers have been getting away with murder for years. For them, it’s a well-paid hobby while they bide their time. It’s about to stop when everything slots into place for them to leap to the next level. Payback for the people who killed their parents.

Lambeth Group investigator, Gavin Shawlens, is on their trail. But all is not as it seems and he is pushed way out of his depth when the killers turn on his family. Gavin’s Lambeth Group partner, Zoe Tampsin, is cut off from him and fighting her own battle to stay alive.

They need to connect but Zoe will face an impossible choice. Stop the killers before they pull off the most audacious murder that will shock the world and change it forever. Or, rescue Gavin’s family from the jaws of evil.  

Today is my stop on the Tears of Fire blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – Wow what another incredible read from Gordon Bickerstaff.  I was really looking forward to reading this after reviewing Deadly Secrets.

This books continues the Lambert Group thriller series, and although it is part of the series, this could easily be read as a standalone.  The book reads like any good Bond film, the author really captures the intensity and danger of the situations he places his protagonists in.

Tears Of Fire sees Gavin and Zoe fighting for their lives, unable to help each other.  Zoe has been found guilty of killing members of an influential family and Gavin finds his family are in grave danger. 

This is such an exciting read, that makes you flip the pages quicker and quicker.  The author has a real knack for writing action thrillers, but he adds character and depth to the story so it make s care about the people involved.

Purchase Links – Tears of Fire

Promo – Belinda Missen

Author – Belinda Missen.

Author and sometimes foodie, Belinda is a ridiculous romantic who met her husband after being set up by a friend two states away.

Residing in country Victoria, surrounded by books, cat-fur, and half-eaten cake, Belinda divides her days between writing rom-coms, baking, and indulging her love of comic books.

Social Media Links –

Website – www.belindamissen.com

Facebook – facebook.com/BelindaMissen

Twitter – twitter.com/belinda_missen

Instagram – @belinda_missen

Lessons in Love

Falling in love is never easy…

Eleanor Manning is finally leaving behind her glittering but empty life in the city (and her soon-to-be-ex-husband) to return to the comfort of her childhood home in Apollo Bay.

She’s landed a lovely new job in her old primary school library and a flatshare with her bubbly best friend, Penny. So yes, she’s well and truly learnt her lesson when it comes to love…

But then she meets gorgeous teacher Marcus Blair and Eleanor’s self-imposed rules fly out of the window! Surely she can resist him long enough to keep this fling no strings attached?

Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Lindsey Kelk and Colleen Coleman.

‘I literally giggle-snorted… It wasn’t often that I didn’t have a smile on my face reading this, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and fun characters.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Heartfelt and laugh-out-loud hilarious… Wonderful.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Heart-warming and laugh-out-loud funny.’ Goodreads reviewer

Lessons in Love is only 99p for a limited time.  Purchase from Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lessons-Love-Belinda-Missen-ebook/dp/B07DD3T53W

A Recipe for Disaster

Meet Lucy, master wedding cake baker, idealistic school canteen crusader, and someone whose broken heart just won’t seem to mend…

Lucy is quietly confident that she has made the right choices in life. Surrounded by friends and family in a small country town, Lucy can easily suppress the feeling that something is missing from her life.

But when a blast from the past arrives in the form of her estranged husband, international celebrity chef Oliver Murray, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble beneath her like overbaked meringue.

Is Oliver’s return all business or is it motivated by something more?

A Recipe for Disaster starts long after most love stories would have ended, proving it is never too late to offer someone a second slice of cake or a second chance.

Perfect for fans of Carole Mathews, Mhairi McFarlane and Carrie Hope Fletcher.

A Recipe For Disaster is only 99p for a limited time.  Purchase from Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recipe-Disaster-Belinda-Missen-ebook/dp/B079RF7XCB

An Impossible Thing Called Love

Don’t miss the new delightfully uplifting book from the author of A Recipe for Disaster!

A second chance at love…

When globe-trotting Emmy first fell for first-aider William on a freezing New Year’s Eve, she really believed that their love would go the distance.

 But when she returns to Australia, her letters start to go unanswered and her emails bounce back unread, Emmy decides it’s time to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and start afresh in London.

 So she’s shocked when William walks in on her very first day at her new job! Even worse, he’s hotter than ever. But why did he disappear for so long? What has he been hiding? And could this really be their second chance at falling in love…?

Perfect for fans of Carole Mathews, Mhairi McFarlane and Carrie Hope Fletcher.

An Impossible Thing Called love is 99p / 99c for a limited period.   Purchase from Amazon

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Impossible-Thing-Called-Love-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B07BJYR8CV

US –  https://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Thing-Called-Love-heartwarming-ebook/dp/B07BJYR8CV/

The Wish List of Albie Young

Author – Ruby Hummingbird is a novelist based in the English countryside. She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn’t storytelling, she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes. The Wish List of Albie Young is her debut novel, and it promises to be a real heartbreaker. 

Ruby Hummingbird

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @HummingbirdRuby

Instagram – rubyhummingbirdauthor

Facebook – ruby.hummingbird.58

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 336

The Blurb –

Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.

Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.

Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…

This life-affirming and heartfelt tale is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and wanted more. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Keeper of Lost Things will love this poignant story, which shows us that for the truest loves, the end is never really the end…  

Today is my stop on The Wish List of Albie Young blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is a beautiful heartwarming book, filled with so many emotions.

Maria lives by herself and her days and weeks pass by like clockwork. Everything the same. She has no visitors and goes out once a week, on a Thursday to meet Albie. This is her life.

One Thursday Albie doesn’t turn up and Maria’s life is turned upside down, the highlight of the week is gone.

Through Maria, we meet Albie Young and his secrets, and a list he has made. Armed with this list Maria makes a decision.

It was really interesting to see the transformation of Maria through the book, and how she copes with things outside of her comfort zone as she tries to fulfil Albie’s hopes.

This was a really emotional read as the author explores the theme of loneliness, which unfortunately is an all too common reality to a lot of people, irrespective of age.

Highly recommended.

Purchase Links – The Wish List of Albie Young

Frankie

Author – James Essinger.

JAMES ESSINGER is the author of non-fiction books that focus on STEM subjects and personalities, including Charles and Ada (The History Press) and Ada’s Algorithm (Gibson Square), the latter of which has been optioned for a film. He lives in Canterbury.

SANDRA KOUTZENKO is a bilingual writer whose work spans a variety of categories and topics, ranging from French poetry to English non-fiction, focusing on human nature and the conflict between its potential for greatness and its propensity for destruction.

James Essinger

Sandra Koutzenko

Social Media Links –

Twitter @TheHistoryPress

Instagram @TheHistoryPressUK

https://www.facebook.com/james.essinger

Tweets by JamesEssinger

Publisher – The History Press

Pages – 288

The Blurb –

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side-effects.

We know differently now.

Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens when things aren’t done ‘the right way’. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children.

But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled hierarchy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie is her story.

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

My thoughts – This is the third book of James Essinger’s I have read. The others being Charles and Ada and Writing Fiction.

In this book he collaborates with Sandra Koutzenko to tell the story of Frankie Kelsey, Dr Frances Kelsey. In the 1950’s thalidomide was seen as a wonder drug. Lots of countries around the world implemented it into their health systems.

The drug never made into the USA though because of the vigilance of one woman, Dr Frances Kelsey. She fought against thalidomide when it was being hailed as a miracle drug. She saw the long term problems it could cause before all the terrible tragedies came to light.

She fought against the might of the drug companies, she fought tirelessly because she saw the lack of testing on the drug. Powered on by her beliefs, she is responsible for saving millions of unborn babies from being exposed to thalidomide and yet her name is still largely unknown.

This is a brilliantly written and researched book and I would advise everyone to read it.

Purchase Links –

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/frankie/9780750991919/

Left For Dead

Author –

Paul Teague writes thrillers, sci-fi and non-fiction books.

Writing as Paul J. Teague, he is the author of the Don’t Tell Meg trilogy as well as several standalones such as Dead of Night, Two Years After, Now You See Her (with Adam Nicholls) and So Many Lies.

His latest thriller trilogy is set in the coastal town of Morecambe in the UK.
Paul studied, lived and worked in Lancaster and Morecambe between 1983 and 1991 and the books draw from his personal experiences and knowledge of the area.

The first book – Left for Dead – is released in November 2019 and the follow-ups – Circle of Lies and Truth Will Out – will be published in December 2019 and January 2020 respectively.

Paul is a former teacher, DJ, waiter and BBC radio producer, presenter and journalist.

Paul Teague

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulTeagueUK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulteagueauthor/

Thriller website: https://paulteague.co.uk/

Publisher – Clixeo Publishing

Pages – 291

The Blurb –

A return to the past. Two guilty secrets. A memory that won’t stay buried …

When Charlotte and Will Grayson return to the seaside resort where they met as teenagers, they hope it’ll help to heal the wounds in their marriage.

But visiting the dilapidated holiday camp where their relationship began brings terrible memories back from the past.

The man who’d once made their lives hell has come back to find them – only, the last time they saw him, they’d left him for dead on the beach.

As the threats to their new life become more severe, Charlotte and Will discover that they were mistaken about what happened to Bruce Craven on that fateful night.

And now he’s returned to finish off what was started thirty years ago.

Sometimes the past is best left alone 

Left for Dead is the first book in the Morecambe Bay Trilogy.

Book 2 is Circle of Lies and will be published on Monday 9th December 2019.

Book 3 is Truth Will Out and will be published on Monday 6th January 2020.  

Today is my stop on the Left For Dead blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I’m so pleased I read this book. For the last two years I have travelled to Morecambe for the Morecambe and Vice Crime Writing Festival. Although I don’t know the town well, it is always enjoyable to read a book and think ‘Ooh I know where that is.’

The story follows husband and wife Charlotte and Will as they move their family to Morecambe to start a new business. They are both familiar with the town having both been there in their teens.

However Charlotte has a secret from that time that she has never shared ,but someone in Morecambe knows and messages her as soon as she arrives. Charlotte soon learns you can never bury the past.

An excellent read and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Purchase Links – Left For Dead

Slash

Author – Hunter Shea.

Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. He’s the author of over 25 books, including The Jersey Devil (Pinnacle) and We Are Always Watching (Sinister Grin). Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Cryptozoology Museum.
The Montauk Monster was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. He was selected to be part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line in 2011 alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. He’s an avid podcaster and can be heard and seen on Monster Men and Final Guys every week. Living with his crazy and supportive family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to see the skyline without having to pay New York rent.

Hunter Shea

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @huntershea1

Website – www.huntershea.com

Publisher – Flame Tree Press

Pages – 288

The Blurb –

Five years after final girl Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she’s found hanging in her basement by her fiancé, Todd Matthews. She left behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. What they find is a haunted history that’s been lying in wait for a fresh set of victims.

The Wraith is back, and he’s nothing what they expected.

Today is my stop on the Slash blogtour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – Wow this is a brilliant read. If you like horror this is definitely for you.

Five years ago Ash was the only survivor of a horrible attack by someone the press called The Wraith. Her injuries were numerous both physical and mental, and she has struggled to continue living. She has accumulated a group of fans who dub her ‘The Final Girl’, they come to her house, send her things, the tragedy made her a household name.

Five years and she feels she can no longer cope and commits suicide, leaving her body for her partner Todd to find. Todd is angry with the world for not leaving her alone, especially the so called fans. He is also angry that the so called Wraith has never been caught.

After finding a note from Ash he decides to go back to where it all started to see if he can find out who The Wraith is, but it’s a decision he will live to regret.

There are some really detailed descriptions of gore and decapitations throughout, and although you are thinking OMG, you carry on reading. I really wanted to know who it is was. Thrilling and terrifying, a must for horror fans.

Purchase Links – Slash

Cover Reveal – Hunting Ground

Author – L J Morris.

L J Morris is an author with a lifelong love of books and storytelling that he developed as a child. He spent most of the 80s and 90s serving in the Royal Navy as a Weapons Engineer and now lives in Cumbria, with his family. He currently works within the defence industry and continues to write at every opportunity.

His short stories have appeared in several anthologies including Volumes 1 & 2 of Best-selling author Matt Hilton’s anthology series ‘ACTION: Pulse Pounding Tales’.

Other anthologies he has appeared in include ‘Happily Never After’, ‘Wish You Weren’t Here’, and ‘Liminal Time, Liminal Space’ where one reader described his tale ‘True Colours’ as “Riveting and powerful”

His first novel ‘Desperate Ground’ was published in May 2018 and attracted good reviews.

L J Morris

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LesJMorris/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesJMorris

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1810171.L_J_Morris

The Blurb –

Freed from prison and back in Europe, Ali Sinclair has one job… find Frank McGill.

The information he has is vital if they are to end the conspiracy that threatens to bring down the Government and push NATO to the brink of war.

With terrorist attacks increasing and a mole at the top of the establishment, Sinclair and McGill will need to use all their skills to follow the clues across the continent in a deadly treasure hunt that drags them back towards London.But when you’re being hunted by assassins and the authorities… going home isn’t always the safest option.