*Blog Tour Review: “When the Waters Recede” by Graham Smith + Harry Evans 6 Book Giveaway

 

Today’s book review hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources is for a novel featuring DI Harry Evans: When the Waters Recede, by Graham Smith.

When a car is pulled from raging floodwaters with a dead man in the front and the decapitated body of an evil woman in the boot, Cumbria’s Major Crimes Team are handed the investigation.

The woman is soon recognised, but the man cannot be identified and this leads the team and their former leader, Harry Evans, into areas none of them want to visit.

Before they know it, they’re dealing with protection scams and looking for answers to questions they didn’t know needed to be asked.

When I had the opportunity to review a full-length novel about Cumbria’s Major Crimes team, and DI Harry Evans, I jumped at it. I reviewed No Comment earlier this year and loved it.

I think my favourite part of this whole series is how real the characters are. The trauma and stresses of their jobs are dealt with in a believable fashion, rather than ignored or glossed over.

Lauren is still my favourite character, I have a soft spot for Harry Evans who now consults with his former team, and I think I may have recognised a few of my computer geek friends in Chisholm (I still have no idea how to pronounce his name though? )

The story was well-paced, the mystery was intriguing and horrifying, and I loved the end, which unfolded quite spectacularly.

I’m not sure I’m allowed to enter the giveaway for the full series myself, but heck, if I could – I would!

When the Waters Recede gets four out of five feathers.

Purchase the novel from Amazon UK.

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of When the Waters Recede, Graham Smith is offering one lucky reader the chance to win all six books in the Harry Evans series.

To enter, simply sign up for his newsletter via the link provided before the 5th of June 2018 and you’ll be entered into not just this competition, but all competitions that he runs. Entrants from the whole world are welcome.
http://blogspot.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8bbfc9a3acb79a408253510a8&id=48d2dc65e5

About the Author

Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.

He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and three novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder.

An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009

Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, eight attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts.

Social Media Links –

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/grahamnsmithauthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/GrahamSmith1972

Website – www.grahamsmithauthor.com

*Blog Tour Review: “The Forever Night Stand” by Bena Roberts

Today’s review is for The Forever Night Stand, a novella written by Bena Roberts and hosted by  Rachel’s Random Resources.

 

A two hour romance which starts with drama and mayhem!

Sara has her back up against the wall. She is recovering from the side effects of chemotherapy and at her own “cancer free” party, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

The adventure begins when she leaves her posh lifestyle in Scotland and moves in with her Bollywood loving parents, in West London. Her parents are tragically ashamed of Sara’s actions and her electronic monitor. She decides to make them happy again and considers re-marrying.

Enter Raj, a possible hero who comes with the promise of a huge Indian wedding in Goa!

George, the childhood love of her life who seems to be hanging around every corner. Or should she just go back to her husband? Sara faces the biggest dilemma of her life, after making the colossal mistake of her life. What will she do and whom will she choose?

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to review this novella after reading Blind Dates, Big Love & Six Tinder Weeks by the same author.

As much as I loved Roberts’ novel, I unfortunately can’t say the same for The Forever Night Stand.

The stream of consciousness style of writing is becoming more popular, but among some of the risks with this style is that it can end up feeling like a mismatched collection of strange metaphors designed to either amuse or philosophise, which is exactly what happens in this novella.

There were times when I reread lines, or entire scenes, wondering whether the characters were on drugs the entire time, and frankly, George is just a bit creepy.

The saving grace for the novella is that Roberts’ has a keen grasp of the vagaries of human nature, and her observations are sharp and witty, without trying too hard.

Sadly, The Forever Night Stand just didn’t draw me in as much as her novel did. It gets three out of five feathers.

Purchase the novel from Amazon, Kobo, Nook, or Smashwords.

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Bena Roberts was a journalist and analyst. Now she prefers the title novelist and romance adventurist. She graduated in England 1994 and then with a Masters in 1997.

Born in 1973, Bena lived in West London until she was 24. Then she lived and worked in Budapest, Bruges, Prague, Amsterdam, Vienna, Hamburg and Munich. She currently resides in Germany, between Heidelberg and Frankfurt. Although she still refers to London as ‘home.’

Bena successfully created a technology blog which gained funding, had lunch with Steve Ballmer and was ‘top 50 most influential woman in mobile.’ Her blog also won several awards including Metro Best Blog.

Bena has two children, loves small dogs and always writes books with a cup of Earl Grey.

Bena’s favorite literary style is black humor, and she hopes to offer a unique voice in this area. Her books aim to confront the darkest of life experiences, with levity. Most of her writing is heavy hitting yet also entertaining.

Also –  Available My Cake! A short story

Pre-Order Tammy&Lisa – How far would you go to protect your teenage son?

Social Media Links 

Twitter – @benaroberts

Amazon Author – https://www.amazon.com/Bena-Roberts/e/B076ZRDW8G

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17307556.Bena_Roberts

*Blog Tour Review: “The Things We Need to Say” by Rachel Burton

 

Today I’m reviewing the heartbreaking novel, The Things We Need to Say, written by Rachel Burton, and hosted by  Rachel’s Random Resources.

Sometimes the things we never say are the most important.

Fran loves Will with all her heart. They had a whirlwind romance, a perfect marriage and a wonderful life. Until everything changed. Now Fran needs to find her way again and teaching a yoga retreat in Spain offers her just that. Leaving behind a broken marriage she has some very important decisions to make.

Will needs his wife, he needs her to open up to him if they’re to ever return to the ways things once were. But he may have damaged any possibility he had of mending their relationship and now Fran is in Spain and Will is alone.

As both Fran and Will begin to let go of a life that could have been, fate may just find a way of bringing them back together.

Perfect for fans of Katie Marsh, Amanda Prowse and Sheila O’Flanagan

 

This story managed to break my heart into a million teeny little pieces, and then stitched it all back together with hope and delight.

The relationship between Will and Fran is absolutely a goal for most couples. Right from the start it’s clear how madly in love they are. How much they’re good for each other and need to be the each other’s support while they rebuild their lives together.

I cried so much throughout this story, from both anguish and sadness, and then with relief and joy. It was so beautifully written, full of poignant sensitivity and understanding of what it means to be human.

The only disappointment was in how quickly it ended – almost too abruptly. I can’t say anything without giving away spoilers, but when so much of the novel dealt with the hardships they went through, it would have been nice to have a bit more depth to how things shifted at the end.

The necessity of open, honest communication in all relationships was illustrated so well throughout the book, and I think Fran and Will’s tale will stay with me for a long time to come.

The Things We Need to Say gets four out of five feathers.

Purchase the novel at Amazon UK.

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first learned to talk. After many false starts she finally made one up that was worth writing down.

After graduating with a degree in Classics and another in English, she didn’t really know what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a paralegal and a yoga teacher.

She has spent most of her life between Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles and very tall romantic heroes.

Her debut, The Many Colours of Us, was an Amazon Kindle bestseller. Her second novel, The Things We Need to Say, is released on 11 May 2018. She is currently working on her third novel in which the heroine follows the love of her life to live in a city in northern England. It has no autobiographical elements at all…..maybe.

Find her on Twitter & Instagram as @bookish_yogi or search Facebook for Rachel Burton Author. She is always happy to talk books, writing, music, cats and how the weather in Yorkshire is rubbish. She is mostly dreaming of her next holiday….

Social Media Links

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rachelburtonauthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/bookish_yogi

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bookish_yogi/

 

*Blog Tour Review: “One Summer in Rome” by Samantha Tonge

 

One Summer in Rome, written by Samantha Tonge and hosted by  Rachel’s Random Resources, was an unexpected delight to review for this publication day blitz.

 

To Rome…with love?

Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.

Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!

Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…

A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.

 

I loved this story. It’s a light-hearted, easy read, but the characters aren’t simple by any means. Their stories are beautifully entwined, and the situation that heroine Mary finds herself in is quite explosive.

Rome is described in a wonderfully sensory exploration that made me feel as though I was in the Piazza with Mary, watching the buskers and artists while eating pizza and drinking mochaccinos.

As a hero, Dante is brooding, sufficiently tortured and as delicious as the pizzas he makes. The conflict between Mary and Dante is based more on Mary’s reluctance to get involved with any men after having her heart broken back home, and yet… well, it wouldn’t be a romance if there wasn’t a reason for her to risk it all on Dante, now would it?

Unfortunately the competition for the Lombardi List felt forced, as did the conversations between Margherita and the other characters, but the complexity of relationships in the Rossi family, and their support of their employees was a delight to see unfolding and I was almost sorry when the story ended.

One Summer in Rome gets four out of five feathers.

Purchase the novel at Amazon UK.

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat who thinks it’s a dog. When not writing she spends her days cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Game of Scones hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Best Romantic Ebook category at the 2015 Love Stories Awards.

 

Social Media Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Website – http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

 

*Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: “Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn” by Anthony Hewitt (Anton Marks)

Today’s review is for Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn, written by Anthony Hewitt and hosted by  Rachel’s Random Resources.

When a secret world of ancient alien kingdoms and evil corporations clashes with adolescents, school, and homework. You won’t be able to put down this wild adventure of discovery, friendship, and coming of age!

What would you do if you discovered you were descended from ancient alien African royalty and you could hold the key to save your friends, family, and the world from evil destructive forces?
Joshua N’Gon seemed like an ordinary boy. Raised in a loving foster home in north London and a gifted student at the St Augustine private school. But as he grew older, a thirst for meaning and true purpose began to grow greater and greater…

With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility

On Joshua’s tenth birthday he received mysterious packages from his birth parents. Parents who had left him as a baby under mysterious circumstances. Opening the packages, he would find gifts that would forever change him both mentally and physically. Magical technology unlike anything he had ever seen and the best part, only he could use it. But his secrets would not stay that way for long. Evil forces were gathering and they would stop at nothing to acquire the powerful science behind his amazing inventions

With the help of his two best friends, Brick and Mina, Joshua sets out to develop his abilities, find his real parents and stop the Technology Billionaire Kanu Umbekwi from subjugating the planet.

Buckle up and get ready to go on an exciting thrill ride, full of suspense, mystery, and alien technology with Joshua N’Gon:The Last Prince of Alkebulahn.

I signed up for this review because the book came hot on the heels of Black Panther being released, a movie which made me so proud to be from South Africa, I nearly burst.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this YA Urban Fantasy, but I hoped it would be a unique story about a young man discovering the truth of his heritage and using it to save the world.

It’s a difficult book to review, because it has potential, but I also feel that in some places the author tried too hard to cover every possibility to make it popular with the YA generation.

Add to that the confusion in switching between past and present tense, spelling and grammatical errors, and split chapters that really could have been combined to make it jump around less, and Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn was hard to read.

Having said that though, I was able to keep reading because the characters are intriguing, Joshua’s past is mysterious and I wanted to know more, and more than that, I wanted to find out what could possibly threaten the Alkebulahn enough with all their impressive tech, that they felt the need to send Joshua into exile.

Overall, Joshua N’Gon introduced me to a world I was unfamiliar with – the Jamaican culture of Josh’s foster parents was beautifully depicted, and the slang that Joshua and his friends use to speak to each other was a reminder that youth sometimes does strange things to language.

Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn gets three out of five feathers, simply because I feel it could do with a strong round of edits to truly bring the deeper, fascinating story, to life.

Purchase the novel here.

ENTER THE INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

Win 10 x Signed Copies of Joshua N’Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn (Open Internationally)

*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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

 

 

Anton Marks is a self-published author based in London.  His self-styled Urban Fantastic genre is speculative fiction using crime, action adventure, horror, sword and soul and sci-fi to highlight the black experience through the lens of the extraordinary. At present, he has eight books in the Amazon Kindle store, Dancehall, Bushman, Bad II the Bone, In the Days of Dread, 69, Messiah, Chauffeur and a Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel called Joshua N’Gon: The Last Prince of Alkebulahn written as Anthony Hewitt. The second in his Bad II the Bone Series Good II be Bad is due in 2018.

Join him on his journey at http://www.urban-fantastic.com.

Social Media Links –

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/antonmarks/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/marksman.studio

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AntonMarks

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3090975.Anton_Marks

 

*Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: “A Warriner to Seduce Her” by Virginia Heath

 

Today’s review is for A Warriner to Seduce Her, written by Virginia Heath and hosted by  Rachel’s Random Resources.

 

A sensible schoolmistress… Awakened by the notorious rake!

In this The Wild Warriners story, schoolmistress Felicity Blunt feels old beyond her years―and desperately dull. Meeting confirmed rake Jacob Warriner brings her gloriously alive, and yet no matter his allure she must remain immune to his obvious charms and unashamed flirtation. But is Jacob merely a mischievous scoundrel? Or is there much more to this Warriner than meets the eye…?

Oh. Em. Gee! Mills & Boon historical romances have changed so much since I was a teenager swooning over the love stories. And for the better too!

I adored this novel by Virginia Heath, which has the most incredible heroine – a “blunt in name and nature” schoolmistress who puts Jake Warriner firmly in his place, and then proceeds to fall head over heels in love with him regardless.

Not only is Fliss smart, sassy and independent, Jake is a hero worthy of the title. Strong and brave, but oh-so-tortured by a traumatic experience in his youth; he nevertheless manages to stay in touch with his emotions, and expresses them! *swoon*

I alternated between laughing and crying at the exchanges between the main characters, and loved the interplay between the Warriner brothers and their families.

There were some moments that seemed far-fetched, but they were easily overlooked as part of the characteristics of a light-hearted romance.

A Warriner to Seduce Her gets four out of five feathers.

Purchase the novel here.

ENTER THE INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY

Win 3 x E-copies of A Warriner to Seduce Her (Open Internationally)

*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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

*I received a free copy of the book from Rachel’s Random Resources in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

 

 

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Fortunately, the lovely people at Harlequin Mills & Boon took pity on her and decided to publish her romances, but it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Social Media Links 

Twitter – https://twitter.com/VirginiaHeath_

Website – https://www.virginiaheathromance.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/virginiaheathauthor/