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Her Last Summer
BLOG TOUR
Author: Nina Manning
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Date Published: May 30, 2024If you like atmospheric stories, this book is for you. The settings at the beach, at the local recreation center in Camden, England, and the film set in Scotland (and particularly the food) will evoke your senses.
Rey Levine is an out-of-work actress, living in the best place she can afford, drinking, doing drugs, and hopping into bed with random strangers. We find out that though she was a rising star, she’s so traumatized by the fact that her sister disappeared when she was young…and the guilt she feels…that she is sabotaging her career. But when she’s offered a chance at a come-back role, she must do everything in her power to fight the fear of swimming that she’s formed.
It wasn’t until Rey was on the set of her film that I started to really get into her character, through the eyes of her co-star and heartthrob Dexter Rice. Through his character, she starts to open up about her past. As I expected, Rey’s big secret isn’t a surprise, but the circumstances around it take the book in a whole other direction.
Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Rachel’s Random Resources for an advance reader’s copy. Photos courtesy of RRR.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. The Daughter in Law is her debut psychological thriller and since then Nina has gone on to write 9 more books including: The Guilty Wife published in March 2020, The House Mate published in October 2020.The Bridesmaid published May 2021 and Queen Bee in January 2022. She has also written two ‘mum-lit’ fiction books: The 3 am shattered mums’ club and the 6 pm frazzled mums’ club. Her tenth book, Her Last Summer, another thriller, is published in May 2024.Nina currently lives in The Highlands in Scotland with her family.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083674816362
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninamanninguk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninamanningauthor/
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/NinaManningNews
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-manning
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The Divorce Lawyer
BLOG TOUR
Author: Ellie Monago
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: May 10, 2024“But as I stand in the courtroom, listening to this poor woman break down sobbing, my stomach twists. I can’t look. Her husband says she can’t be trusted. Her child is about to be taken away from her. And it’s all my fault.Because she is not my client. Her husband is.”
This book was a cautionary tale about what happens when you stray from your convictions about what is the morally right thing to do. It’s also a wake-up call about the ubiquitousness of surveillance and technologies that can be used for evil in the wrong hands.
Monago builds on the character of Esther, who insists that she deals in “family law” not divorce. But up until now, she has worked as an advocate for women in what she considers bad relationships, working to win custody battles. Peter seems determined to threaten to expose her secret, forcing her to take his custody case, and someone is anonymously messaging her with ominous disappearing texts in an app called Sleight, which was created by Peter’s prodigy, Avery, Ellie begins to spiral down wondering if she really is the “good” person she thought she was, and if now Avery, or even her boyfriend, know her secret too.
The author is a practicing therapist, so there is a ring of truth to the custody and mediator portions of the book. Almost all of the characters in the book were unlikeable, so not everyone will like it, but it was quick-paced and an interesting read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader’s copy.
Ellie Monago is the pen name of an acclaimed novelist and practicing therapist. She’s also a wife and mother, and when you add it all up, she doesn’t wind up with much time for hobbies. But she’s an avid tennis fan, a passionate reader of both fiction and nonfiction—especially memoir (nothing’s as juicy as the truth!)—and she relishes a good craft cocktail. -
The Night Nanny
BOOK TOUR
Author: Nelle Lamarr
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: May 13, 2024“Please don’t worry, Ava. Your baby is safe with me. I’m going to take care of her like she’s my own…”
Nothing says “you better worry” more than that when you’re reading a thriller!
Poor Ava had a rough pregnancy with complications, so when she is unable to even get out of bed to lift up her own baby, her husband suggests hiring a night nanny. He figured it would be great for Ava and for little Isa, and would allow him to get some sleep as well.
Cue the dun…dun…dunnnn…. Enter Marley, the night nurse. You know this is going to go south. Ava continues to be a dishrag, letting Marley take over the day, as well as night feedings, while her depression and lack of self concept continue to dip. But after a few weeks, Ava starts to connect with her baby (finally). And that’s when the action takes off. Did this book require a huge suspension of disbelief? Yes. But was it worth it for the twists and turns? Absolutely!
Thank you so much to Bookouture for taking me along on this book tour!About the author
Nelle Lamarr is the pen name for Nelle L’Amour, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, who has sold over 350,000 books worldwide. Her books feature flawed, complex characters and nail-biting twists you won’t see coming. A former executive in the entertainment industry, she lives in Los Angeles with her Prince Charming-ish husband, beautiful twin princesses, and a bevy of royal pain-in-the-butt pets. When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading gripping thrillers by her favorite authors with a cup of coffee or glass of wine. -
The Return of Ellie Black
Author: Emiko Jean
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: May 7, 2024I was super impressed by this debut thriller from Emiko Jean.
The story is told through dual POV which gives us insight into both main characters. But it’s the characterization of Detective Chelsey Calhoun and the girl who returns from the missing, Elizabeth, that really grabbed me. We see the determination of Chelsey to solve the missing person cases, partly for her own personal reasons, but she really cannot let go of this case, even when her marriage is threatened. Elizabeth goes through a gruesome ordeal, but it’s her grit that helps in her survival. The chapters are interspersed in a timely manner in order to provide a backstory to the character’s motivation.
This story with its strong plot, twists and revelations, and emotional tug, stayed with me for a long time after I read it.
Background photo courtesy of Photo by Marek Piwnicki @unsplash
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A Game of Lies
Author: Clare Macintosh
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Date Published: April 23, 2024I will never look at game shows the same after reading A Game of Lies! In a real-life version of bait-and-switch, 7 contestants find out the reality show premise is not what they signed up for. Whose secret is worth killing for and why?
DC Ffion Morgan is back to try to figure out everyone’s alibi, including staff and friends. The setting is the Welsh countryside and the Exposure encampment, surrounded by a wire fence. Everyone has an alibi, but everyone also has a motive. Mackintosh masterfully creates a well-developed persona for each of her characters through backstories and retellings from each POV of their time on the set of the reality show. I loved the addition of Dave, a large rescue who thinks he’s a puppy and clings to Ffion like Velcro. -
Hiding Places
Author: E. J. Post
Publisher: BDA Publishing
Date Published: April 16, 2024This was a beautifully written story about the aftermath of trauma, and the consequences of the way our society deals with mental health issues.
In the wake of a mass shooting, Ellie is at once called both a hero, and a killer, and even accused of cheating on her dead husband. She and James are both dealing with their PTSD, and cling to each other for emotional support. But both must deal with survivor’s guilt in their own way. It’s also about forgiveness of oneself, and of others.
I love how Ellie was portrayed. She is honest with herself and others, without displaying the naivete that is too common in FMCs. Her inner and outer struggles were visceral.
This book was almost lyrical in its use of prose, and I am grateful to the author and BDA Publishing for an advance reader’s copy.
Background photo courtesy of Jay Rembert at Unsplash.
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The New Girl
Author: Alison Stockham
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Date Published: April 9, 2024The New Girl
The letterbox clatters and sitting on the mat is a piece of paper, in black and white, with everything needed to blow Anna’s perfect life apart.
A baby scan photo.
Anna and Jon have been trying for a baby with no success, so after years of disappointment, this feels like a kick in the teeth.
Who sent it? And why?
Anna’s thoughts fall on Grace – the keen young woman Jon hired at their printing business. Something about Grace isn’t quite right. She asks too many questions and makes Anna nervous but she can’t work out why.
And she can’t deny she sees the way her husband looks at her.
All she knows is this baby scan might tear her marriage apart…
MY THOUGHTS
Anna and Jon spend almost all their time at their design/printing company. Jon is concerned that the stress is keeping Anna from getting pregnant, and so he decides to bring in a young woman from his church who would like to build her design skills. That’s the first thing Anna disliked about Grace. But when a baby scan is pushed through her mail slot, she starts to get paranoid that someone has discovered her secret! It seems a huge coincidence that it happened right after Grace started, and Anna’s friend Kate adds fuel to the fire when she suggests that maybe Jon and Grace have more than a working relationship.
While the story started off slow and was more women’s fiction than a thriller, it was about secrets and lies, the long-term effect of keeping lies hidden, and how families adapt in difficult circumstances. The ending takes off though, and creates an emotional rollercoaster that will stay with you.Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/TheNewGirlSocial
Author Bio –Alison Stockham’s debut novel, The Cuckoo Sister, was a top 10 bestseller and was also longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Her second novel The Silent Friend was published in July 2023 and her third novel, The New Girl, will be published in April 2024.From a background in film and television production, working in film dramas and then TV documentary production for the BBC and Channel 4, Alison is now the events coordinator for Cambridge Literary Festival. She lives in the city with her husband, their children and their cat, who keeps her company while she works on the next book
Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonStockhamAuthor
Twitter (48) Alison Stockham (@AlisonStockham) / X (twitter.com)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astockhamauthor/
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/AlisonStockhamNews
Bookbub profile: Alison Stockham Books – BookBub
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The Gathering
Author: C. J. Tudor
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
Date Published: April 9, 2024This book was a great example of how to scare me without really scaring me! I really liked C. J. Tudor’s other books so I must have skipped over the vampyrs bit in the synopsis! But this is vampires done right – Tudor has humanized them and treated them like any other community of outcasts, showing the fear of the townspeople which is bred on myth, suspicion, and tradition. I loved the portrayal of vampires living among us, and I was thoroughly invested in the fate of the Colony.
Then we have the police procedural portion. Deadhart Alaska’s Police Chief Pete Nichols is required to bring in a detective from the Vampyr Anthology Department to determine if the killing of a young boy was vampyr related. This is not a traditional portrayal of a pretty young detective breezing in to save the town. Tudor’s detective Barbara Atkins (Fang Doc) is middle aged and as the former police chief, Tucker, tells her, “overweight and unfit”. And while Barbara’s job is to determine if there should be a “culling” of the Colony, she’s not one to make snap decisions or bow to pressure. She is skeptical of both sides’ version of events.
And Tudor’s skill was in making the reader skeptical as well as feeling compassion for both sides. So I am happy to continue to auto-buy C.J.’s book without reading the synopsis because I know they will be both readable and engaging!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an advance reader’s copy. -
The Godchild
Author: Miranda Rijks
Publisher: Inkubator
Date to be Published: March 31, 2024It’s hard to review this book without giving too much away, so I will touch upon the themes in the book.
Responsibility
If you accept the responsibility of being a godparent, are you still responsible morally if you’ve lost ties with the child’s parent? Carina feels a moral responsibility, while her husband, Don, is not sure the family can support another mouth to feed with their one-wage earner family. Her daughter Tegan would rather not have to share her bedroom with a stranger, Alicia, while Arthur is infatuated with her and baby Arthur loves the attention.
Work
If you are responsible for an entire school, where do you draw the line between work and family? Carina must face that question when everything converges at once, creating emergencies both at school, at home, and in her personal life.
Trust
Is there ever a time when you should believe a stranger over your own family? Carina is torn between Alicia, who appears to be good, smart, and mature, and her own daughter and son whose behavior is less than exemplary.
Once again, Miranda Rijks has written a fast-paced, engaging, and suspenseful novel!
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books, and Booksprout for an advance reader’s copy.Background photo Photo by Mona Eendra on Unsplash.
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Remedy- Cover Reveal
Author: Emily Bridget Taylor
Publisher: Bijou Press
Cover Reveal: April 3, 2024
Date to be Published: June 22, 2024HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THIS COVER REVEAL?
Blurb
Fallen from the heights of love
to the depths of madness,
she flees to the endless,
wailing moor.
There is nothing here but shadows,
a lantern – her white dress flickering in the wind.
There is nothing here but shadows,
a lantern – and you.
In your hands are her confessions.
Between your fingers, a book of prayers.
Drink the shadows with her –
and you will taste the fullness of light.
Remedy is a collection of poetry for those who refuse to be extinguished. It is a story told in four parts, each part mending a different kind of pain. Remedy will take you by the hand through the falling, severing, healing, and resurrecting – giving you the courage to begin again.
“Taylor’s voice soars to new heights. Remedy is soul-food,
scars and all” – Scott-Patrick Mitchell, author of Clean
Author Bio
Emily Bridget Taylor is a poet, artist and performer. Her words and imagery are inspired by honey-filled days of light and love, and the dark hours between – the duality that is Life’s gift. In the wake of the pandemic, Emily began sharing her poetry online. What followed was a surprising, magical journey in which her words and images resonated around the world. Her poetry collection Remedy, art series Remedy for Walls and performance poetry touch on themes of love, trauma, self-care and healing. Her artistic calling is to dissolve shame in all its forms. Follow her journey at www.emilybridgettaylor.com and @emilybridgettaylor on socials.
Book Cravings 