Lovers and Liars by Nigel May

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Synopsis: When Millionaire playboy Sheridan Rivers is found dead at his luxurious hotel on the paradise island of Barbados, there are several suspects in the frame…

Sutton: Sheridan’s long-suffering wife was permanently pushed aside for his younger lovers. Was it time for her to make a stand?

Kassidy: Sheridan’s assistant longs to be wealthy in her own right. Employed for her sexual and organisational skills, could she have had her eyes on a bigger prize?

Nikki: Sheridan’s oldest daughter has done something really bad that her dad has discovered. What price will she pay to keep his silence?

Heather: The apple of her father, Sheridan’s eye. But she’s recently been widowed due to a terrible accident Sheridan was responsible for. Is the time ripe for revenge?

Four women, each with a cross to bear – all waiting for the perfect moment to exact their revenge .

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Well another Nigel May book an another corker of a read. It’s packed to the rafters with Glamour, murder, sex, more sec, infidelity, skulduggery…the list goes on! When I started to read this book I was a bit worried as there seemed to be so MANY characters. Actually by chapter 3 all the mundane duties such as housework, dinner and a bath had gone out the window. What at first seemed like a character overload ended up being just perfect. Sheridan Rivers is smack bang in the middle of every thread in this story. As the owner and Millionaire of the luxurious Hotels named Velvet he is every bit the arrogant idiot I expected him to be (and some). His long suffering wife Sutton is one of the ladies that has suffered as a result of this despicable man, however has the joy of having two wonderful daughters Nikki and Heather, The two girls couldn’t be more different as characters but equally as readable. Nikki is the party girl where a silly mistake gets her into an impossible situation. Heather on the other hand is a kind and gentle soul who is married to an amazing guy who is her world. Then on the other end of the spectrum you have Kassidy, Sheridan’s assistant who is not only hired for her skills but for her antics in the bedroom.

Phew…already I feel overloaded and I have already read this book! However the reality of reading this couldn’t be further from the truth. As each woman takes a thread to the story it gets more and more involved, dangerous and seems that nobody has any idea just how much double crossing is going on. At the halfway point I was completely and utterly enthralled, addicted and absolutely convinced that no amount of cajoling from my husband would move me from my sofa, book in hand.

A lot of the story features the women, however the main event that this story centres around is a major boxing match that will be set in the Barbados hotel featuring Hatton Eden. Hatton and his manager and trainer Fidge were excellent and added another layer of spice to the story. The settings for this sun drenched romp could’t be any better and it made me long for a sandy beach. It’s a saucy read (it seems Nigel is getting saucier with each book he writes and I LOVE it), so make sure you don’t have any nosey neighbours reading over your shoulder. Although in real life I did have to put the book down (sadly I HAD to eat) I read it in as near to one sitting as is humanly possible. If you are slightly prudish, then maybe not the book for you. For me this has everything PLUS MORE and I think this is my favourite of his books to date. Whoever said men couldn’t write romp clearly hasn’t had the pleasure of reading Mr May! Roll on the next book!

Hard Kill by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #2)

Synopsis: A senior American security adviser is missing, presumed kidnapped for his top-level military intelligence. FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein needs to track him down before classified information gets into the wrong hands. She needs Jon Reznick on board.

The former black-ops assassin is supposed to be on vacation with his daughter, but when Meyerstein calls, it doesn’t pay to keep her waiting. Her elite team is convinced that the missing diplomat’s expertise in the Persian Gulf points to an Iranian terrorist cell, but Reznick isn’t so sure. His gut instinct tells him they’re all wrong. Never one to play by the rules, he finds himself working alone, following a lead that everyone else has dismissed. But to Reznick, the suspect seems a little too clean…

When the team comes under attack, the kidnapping is exposed as part of a much wider conspiracy, one far more dangerous than Meyerstein feared. Nothing and nobody is safe—and only Jon Reznick stands between national security and a campaign of unprecedented terror.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Continue reading “Hard Kill by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #2)”

HARD ROAD BY J B TURNER (JON REZNICK #1)

Synopsis: Jon Reznick is a “ghost”: a black-ops specialist who takes his orders from shadowy handlers, and his salary from the US government. Still mourning the loss of his beloved wife on 9/11, he’s dispatched to carry out a high-level hit. Reznick knows only that it must look like suicide. It’s textbook.

 But the target is not the man Reznick expected. The whole setup is wrong. In an instant the operation is compromised, and Reznick is on the run with the man he was sent to kill. A man wanted by the FBI, and by a mysterious terrorist organization hell-bent on bringing the United States to its knees. FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein is determined to track him down, and to intercept whatever it is Reznick was sent to do.

When Reznick’s young daughter becomes a pawn in the game, he has to use more than his military training to stay one step ahead of those responsible. Meanwhile, he is the only person who knows the true extent of the threat to national security—and has the stealth and determination to stop it.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Continue reading “HARD ROAD BY J B TURNER (JON REZNICK #1)”

Once Upon A Winter by Tilly Tennant

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Synopsis: Snow is falling and Christmas day is in full swing at Hannah Meadows’s rural home. But the usual preparations for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and lashings of festive booze are interrupted by an unexpected knock at the door. And there on the doorstep they find a handsome stranger with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there, begging for their help. 

So begins a winter like no other – one that turns all their lives upside down. For Hannah and her sister Gina, the stranger’s arrival might herald the prospect of love and healing for the hurt caused by messy break-ups. For Jess, Gina’s teenage daughter, however, it signals dark times and discontent. There are new friends and enemies for them all and a new outlook on the world – and when the stranger’s memories finally return, there is heartache too.

If they can all weather the storm, happiness could be theirs. But storms this big can cause a lot of damage and chaos before they blow over… 

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I have read a couple of books of Tilly Tennats and have enjoyed them both so was looking forward to this Christmas themed book. I realised that this book was initially released in 4 parts, however I read it as a whole book. Just make sure if you are buying from Amazon that you get the whole book and not just one part.

The scene is certainly set in this book for the theme surrounding Christmas as in Hannah Meadow’s rural home its just herself along with her sister Gina and Niece Jess on Christmas Day. They plan to do nothing more that eat and drink in front of rubbish TV, especially as the snow is not only falling but settling making it impossible to go anywhere. However, a knock on the door is about to change their easy and lazy day they have planned. When a handsome man turns up on the doorstep with a head injury and zero memory their day starts to get rather more interesting.

Hannah was a character I found easy to read but in all honesty it was her older and more bossy sister Gina I fell in love with. Between the two of them with the occasional unhelpful input from teenager Jess, they end up spending a little time getting to know the mystery man. This seems to be the start of a very strange Christmas that leads into lots more strange events that seem to surround the two women. We get to meet Hannah’s neighbour George, as well as Briony & Paul who live on a nearby farm and their son Ross who also works and lives on the Farm.

I have to be honest and say that I found the beginning chunk of this hard to get in to, however once I was past the initial quarter I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a bit of a slow starter and initially I didn’t have any feelings for the man with no memory. Luckly as you read on and get to know the sisters and additional character more it flowed so well that I think I read the second half of the book in one sitting.

Overall this was a very enjoyable read if a bit slow to start. I loved the additional bit you get at the end (which if I understand correctly you don’t get if brought as short versions). I will look forward to Tilly’s next release!

Blood Lines by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #5)

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Synopsis: How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

 A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring mother and social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Continue reading “Blood Lines by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #5)”

Letters From Lighthouse Cottage by Ali McNamara

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Synopsis: The sun is shining in the quiet little seaside town of Sandybridge. Sandybridge is the perfect English seaside town: home to gift shops, tea rooms and a fabulous fish and chip shop. And it’s home to Grace – although right now, she’s not too happy about it.

Grace grew up in Sandybridge, helping her parents sort junk from vintage treasures, but she always longed to escape to a bigger world. And she made it, travelling the world for her job, falling in love and starting a family. So why is she back in the tiny seaside town she’d long left behind, hanging out with Charlie, the boy who became her best friend when they were teenagers?

It turns out that travelling the world may not have been exactly what Grace needed to do. Perhaps everything she wanted has always been at home – after all, they do say that’s where the heart is…

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I absolutely love Ali McNamara books and although I really enjoyed this one it didn’t have the same pull for me as her previous work due to one main reason which will be explained further down. Grace is the main character and we meet her as a teenager in the 1980’s. The book is set out in time periods and I must say that first section of being a teenager in the 80s resonated with me and I fell in love with the character Grace. Living in Sandybridge which is a quiet town is hard on the shy teenager but she makes friends with Charlie and Danny.

The book continues on and we see Grace grow up, become an adult and finally become a married woman with a child. What we also get to see is the progression of not only Grace but Charlie and Danny too. It was such a wonderful story to read and I loved the fact that you got to share all three of their journeys. It certainly has a stark undercurrent to this tale, one that shows that you never know what your life has in store for you.

Overall by the time I got to the end of the book I realised that although I loved this, the one element of the story which ruined it for me was the source of Grace’s advice! That’s all I can say without plot spoiling, but I thought it was a little bit too far fetched for it to settle with me. That aside Ali McNamara has once again written a fantastic book, albeit one with a little less humour than her previous works which I had to say I missed. A great read and I will as always look forward to her next one.

Death Note by Caroline Mitchell (Ruby Preston #1)

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Synopsis: Twenty years ago you were forced to give your daughter up. Now she’s back. Or is she?

Women who’ve had to give up children for adoption are being killed. A knock at their front door begins a nightmare from which they will never wake up.

Detective Ruby Preston and her team must hunt down a disturbed individual before someone else is taken. But just when they think they’ve made a breakthrough, Ruby receives a sinister email, and the case takes a terrifying personal twist.

When bodies start turning up, staged in perfect, domestic scenes, Ruby realises they’re chasing the most frightening serial killer she has ever faced.

Can Ruby catch the killer before they strike again? Or will her troubled past catch up with her first?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Continue reading “Death Note by Caroline Mitchell (Ruby Preston #1)”

Dark Fragments by Rob Sinclair

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Synopsis: Murder. Money. Revenge.

Outwardly, Ben Stephens appears to be a normal, hard-working family man. In reality, his life has been in turmoil since the murder of his wife, Alice, seven years ago. The killer was never caught.

Now re-married – to the woman he was having an affair with while still married to Alice – Ben’s life is once again spiralling out of control, and he’s become heavily indebted to an unscrupulous criminal who is baying for Ben’s blood.

When Ben’s estranged twin sister, a police detective, unexpectedly returns to his life, asking too many questions for comfort, it becomes clear that without action, Ben’s life will soon reach a crisis point from which there will be no return.

In order to avoid falling further into the mire, Ben must examine the past if he is to survive the present – but just how much pressure can one man take before he breaks?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I was a little undecided about this book but have decided 4/5 is a deserved rating. In this stand alone book we meet Ben Stephens whose life seems top be on an extremely hard and fast path downward. The reason I originally said I wasn’t sure about the rating was the leas character himself. At time I couldn’t feel anythimng than irritation at this man who seems pitiful at times. That aside, the book was written with a great pace and an easy flow to the writing. Once I was quite a few chapters in although Ben irritated me less the decisions he made were ones that made me want to thump him…quite hard!

Ben’s wife was murdered and although he has moved on with his life and children his new wife Gemma is unforgiving when his bad decisions affect them as a family. Ben is involved with some shady characters and as the chapters unfold we get to understand more and more about why he has got to where he is now. Sadly, he just makes even worse decisions and thing progress quickly and not in a good way. As Ben weaves himself into more and more trouble the plot picks up a little pace.

As a stand alone this wasn’t too shabby at all, but my lack of empathy for Ben made me feel a bit ore distanced from the story than I normally would. Even though it was a bit of a stumbling book this was ultimately a good read and I will certainly be reading more of Rob’s stuff in the future.

Phoebe Smith’s Private Blog by Lynda Renham

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Synopsis: Fashion conscious Phoebe Smith wants only one thing: a date for the works party in six weeks’ time. She embarks on a journey to find her man and keeps a private blog of all her disastrous encounters. But when her four-year-old nephew gets into her account, Phoebe’s problems only just begin. With Tinder calamities, a male escort and a pork pie addiction, Phoebe tackles her biggest problem: the just too irritating Harry Bloom. Come with Phoebe on her search for the perfect man and see who will accompany her to the party in this hilarious romantic comedy novel.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I really love Lynda Renham Books as they never fail to make me chuckle. In this case the same rule applies and I found that it cheered me up immensely in the middle of a particularly drudge filled week. Phoebe Smith is a funny character that I instantly liked. She works at the Department store and is 34 and single. She has a group of equally crazy friends and her current mission is to find a date for the upcoming ‘Works Party’ following her disastrous break up.

With her friend Imogen and the very camp Mak she is surrounded by friends whose solution is to drink through it, but those friends make for some stupidly funny decisions she makes. One drunken encounter sees them all agreeing that Phoebe should write a Blog, albeit a personal one about her life instead of writing in a diary. What follows is a stupidly funny tale where Phoebe finds herself in all sorts of weird situation featuring things such as Pork Pies, Male Escorts and Tinder (and that’s just the start).

I admit I loved the character Harry Bloom, but the ones that made me really laugh were the disastrous dates! The story flows along with the help of Phoebes friends and over lactating Sister Rita as well as her Mum who had some brilliant lines in the book. I can truly say this book had me smiling and laughing and certainly ticked many boxes but (I hear people say) why only 4 stars?

Well the only negative for me was that at times I found myself comparing this to Bridget Jones. There were moments that I read and instantly brought to mind Bridget, however having recently seen the film this may account for why. That was the only reason I didn’t give it the full 5, but at a guess I am assuming Lynda Renham won’t mind me comparing her book to the Bridget film too much! Overall a great romantic comedy that will no doubt cheer up somebody else’s dreary week.

Dark Waters by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #3)

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Synopsis: When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. 

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago. 

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on. 

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I came to the Robert Bryndza party late (book 2 to be precise), but having read that and then this latest release I realise why everyone was making such a fuss. First off Erika Foster is a great lead character and the writing is flawless! That’s just for starters, so yes I think we can safely say I am a fully fledged fan now and will be impatiently waiting for each new instalment.

Erika Foster is a Detective working in South London and the book opens with her and a colleague waiting for a team of divers to dredge a disused quarry. What they were looking for was linked to a drugs case, however what they didn’t bank on was the discovery of the body of a young child. Yep, I know it’s certainly not the nicest of stories to read about but with the setting so atmospheric the tension jumps up a few stages in the very first couple of chapters.

Erika quickly establishes herself as being the one who wants this case, but to do that she has to put a few noses out of joint which is not a problem in her world. Erika is an interesting character especially since she lost her husband on the job previously. What it means is that she takes everything extra personally, and you can tell she is constantly battling with herself to always do her best and to not make mistakes. When she finally gets her wish of running the case she has to break the news to the family. Jessica Collins was only 7 when she went missing and Erika is determined to find out what really happened.

The story has multiple layers pretty early on and we see the old case officer Amanda Baker being brought into the story. However Amanda Baker has her own issues and it makes for interesting reading. In addition numerous characters are brought in as potential suspects and the story just keeps building in suspense. The best part was that Erika gets to choose officers to work with and she calls back 2 old colleagues, Moss and Peterson, both of whom I think deserve a place in this series. I read this in 2 sittings and absolutely loved it from the first page to the last. I certainly didn’t see where the ending was going and by the time I got there I was genuinely surprised. As always comes the crashing disappointment of having to wait for the next book but I’m confident it will be worth the wait. If you haven’t read this author, I suggest you give him a try, I doubt you will be disappointed!