The Secret of Happiness by Lucy Diamond

51wiVO--Y5L._SY346_Synopsis: The best things in life . . . can be just around the corner

Rachel and Becca aren’t real sisters, or so they say. They are stepsisters, living far apart, with little in common. Rachel is the successful one: happily married with three children and a big house, plus an impressive career. Artistic Becca, meanwhile, lurches from one dead-end job to another, shares a titchy flat, and has given up on love.

The two of them have lost touch, but when Rachel doesn’t come home one night, Becca is called in to help. Once there, she quickly realizes that her stepsister’s life is not so perfect after all: Rachel’s handsome husband has moved out, her children are rebelling, and her glamorous career has taken a nosedive. Worst of all, nobody seems to have a clue where she might be. Continue reading “The Secret of Happiness by Lucy Diamond”

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey (DI Bradshaw #5)

51nB1qhyJXL._SY346_Synopsis: Eva Dunbar wakes in a large metal box. She has no idea who has taken her. She has no way out . . 

Eva isn’t the first young woman to disappear. Detective Ian Bradshaw, leading the search, has no leads – and precious little time.

When at last a body is found, the police hope the tragic discovery might at least provide a clue that will help them finally find the kidnapper.

But then they identify the body – and realise the case is more twisted than they ever imagined . . .

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey (DI Bradshaw #5)”

The Stranger Within by Tara Lyons (DI Hamilton #4)

51+tZ4nXAIL._SY346_ Synopsis: Torn away from his family life, DI Denis Hamilton is urgently called into a briefing in the early hours of his weekend off. He must unravel an investigation he thought had long closed.

Putting his personal worries to one side, Hamilton and his Murder Investigation Team come up against a patient with a mental disorder hell-bent on revenge.

Comparing the present day with memories of his tragic past, can Hamilton open his mind to the difficulties of mental illness in order to catch a murderer?

And when a colleague’s life is threatened, can Hamilton unlock the truth of the stranger within before it’s too late?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Stranger Within by Tara Lyons (DI Hamilton #4)”

Blood Secrets by Dreda Say Mitchell (Flesh and Blood #4)

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Synopsis: The past comes back to haunt her. Will it destroy her family?

Only two people know what’s happened to the gold stolen in an underworld bullion heist. That’s East End gangster’s widow Babs Miller and her best friend Pearl. So when the gold vanishes from its hiding place that means there can only be two suspects. 

Neither can believe they’ve been betrayed by the other. Neither wants a war. But honour, pride and tit for tat revenge drag them and their families towards a cliff edge of brutal gangland violence. 

And as they try and stay alive, what other dirty secrets are going to be dug up while these two women duel to the death?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Blood Secrets by Dreda Say Mitchell (Flesh and Blood #4)”

Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van by Ali McNamara

Synopsis: When Ana inherits a broken-down camper van from her best friend, she takes the chance for a quick trip to Cornwall – some sea air and fish and chips on the beach is just the tonic she needs.

But St Felix has bigger plans for Ana. She discovers a series of unsent postcards, dating back to the 1950s, hidden in the upholstery of the van. Ana knows that it’s a sign: she’ll make sure that the messages reach the person that they were meant for. And as the broken-down van is restored to gleaming health, so Ana begins to find her way back to happiness.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van by Ali McNamara”

The Teacher by Katerina Diamond

51HE0OpJ8YL Synopsis: You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil? You’re wrong …

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: I have to be honest and say I am not entirely sure what to think about this book. This book focuses on DS Adrian Miles after his return to work following a suspension. He is teamed with DS Imogen Grey who has been relocated and they have to investigate the death of a headteacher. Of course that is just the beginning in terms of story line but it’s also a book I don’t feel you can say too much about without spoiling.

I struggled at the beginning to get into this and I cannot even work out why or what my issue was but it just felt sluggish and hard going at times. I actually liked the two main characters Miles and Grey, but aside from that…I just don’t know. It’s a very graphic book with very explicit descriptions of pretty gruelling scenes. This certainly doesn’t bother me but may be worth readers being aware of it.

Overall it was just middle of the road for me. I may well go back to this author in the future and hopefully will find the next book a little easier to get into.

Desperately Seeking Summer by Mandy Baggott

Synopsis: A Greek getaway you won’t forget…

Escape to Greece with the perfect feel-good book to read on the beach this summer. If you love Kat French and Sarah Morgan, you’ll love Mandy Baggot’s sizzling summer romantic comedies.

Abby Dolan is having a very bad day… In twenty-four hours, she’s lost her job and her boyfriend. Single and with nothing left to lose, she’s headed for a Corfu escape to spend time with her family while she heals her broken heart.

Only her mum and sister’s estate agency ‘Desperately Seeking’ is just that, desperate! Instead of the relaxing, sunshine holiday she’d hoped for, Abby finds herself spending her break helping get the business back on its feet. Determined to attract new clients and give her family a second chance at success, she finds the perfect property to sell in Villa Pappas complete with gorgeous gardener, Theo.

Perhaps working this summer could be a welcome distraction after all. But Theo has his own secrets and Abby isn’t the only thing he wants to take off the market…

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Desperately Seeking Summer by Mandy Baggott”

When The Water Recedes by Graham Smith

Synopsis: 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.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Wow! I have read the others in this series and don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed them but this book…I LOVED! For those that have no prior knowledge, Harry Evans is newly retired. He was the DI and has managed to grab himself a ‘consultancy’ role meaning he is still in the thick of it when it comes to the teams latest case.

The book starts out with a gruesome crime scene when a car is dragged out of the water and they find the bodies of a male and a decapitated female. Harry soon realises that although he is still a part of is old team one particular ex-colleague Lauren is acting strangely. Lauren is an odd character but strangely enough she is also one of my favourites. In this latest book she plays a pretty big part and we get to see more of Lauren and what is going on in her life.

In addition to Harry being very much his usual brusque and abrupt self, we also see him going through a change himself. Newly retired, and still going through the grief process after the loss of his wife it feels like we get to see those changes first hand. This book absolutely raced along and although there were a number of threads running through it, the book kept me engaged from literally the very first page to the very last. I think what made this book even better was that I didn’t expect it to be so engaging! That is absolutely not means as a disrespect as I am a Graham Smith fan and have always enjoyed all his books. However, this little beauty had that extra something special. An absolutely cracking book and I loved it. I think to get the full picture, if you haven’t read the other books it would help, not a necessity…but why not?

When The Waters Recede by Graham Smith

Synopsis: 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.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “When The Waters Recede by Graham Smith”

BLOG TOUR – Love Lies and Wedding Cake by Sue Watson

Synopsis: Faye Dobson is in crisis. You wouldn’t know it, because of the big fat smile on her face, but inside, she’s one step away from nuclear meltdown. And she shouldn’t be. Dan ?? is the man of her dreams. Her really quite energetic dreams, that frequently come true. Sometimes twice in one night. And he’s just asked her to marry him.

But Faye’s been down the marriage road before and it ended up with her having Ryan Gosling fantasies while her ex-husband obsessed about the plumbing. The actual plumbing. Faye and Dan have been living their lives to the fullest, travelling around the world, having sex under the stars… They haven’t argued about unrolling socks before putting them in the laundry.

Besides, even if she wanted to say yes, how could she move to the other side of the world? Because marrying Dan would mean living in Australia. Beautiful, warm and a gazillion miles from Faye’s daughter, Emma, a single mum with her own crazy little girl who both need Faye every single day. Leaving them – even for someone who makes her laugh as much as Dan – simply isn’t an option. 

Dan is offering Faye everything she ever wanted. So why does she feel like she’s about to lose it all? Continue reading “BLOG TOUR – Love Lies and Wedding Cake by Sue Watson”