A SCORCHING SUMMER

Down in the seaside town of Teignmouth, ex-Met detective Eden Driscoll grows restless after a long summer caring for his nine-year-old nephew.

A DESPERATE PLEA

When a man knocks at Eden’s door desperate for help, claiming someone is trying to kill him, Eden jumps at the chance to solve a mystery. But before he can ask more questions, the stranger disappears.

A DEADLY FIRE

The cry for help came too late – that same night a house along the coast is burnt to the ground, and a man’s remains are discovered among the rubble. In the days after, Eden’s curiosity only grows. He soon finds himself investigating, and begins to uncover a web of deception, jealousy and corruption.

My Thoughts:

I needed a really good thriller to get my teeth into and this was the perfect one. This is book two in the Eden Driscoll Series and I absolutely loved it. It is a fast paced thriller about an Ex detective who is caring for his nephew after a tragedy in the family. But when a man wants to speak with Eden, he knows something is up and he needs to put his detective hat on to work out what is going on with this case. As Eden becomes more involved in the case, he thinks he can see the light at the end of the tunnel or is he? I liked the storyline, the parts about how the police and detectives work. I liked William’s style of writing, it was addictive and I did not want to put the book now. I thought I knew the outcome but I really didn’t. It keeps you guessing from the start. I think I have found a new author to start reading more of now. Loved it. The ending was brilliant.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Annie Colwater’s only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he’s in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie comes to the painful realization that the years have eroded not just her confidence but also her self-esteem, and she’s no longer the woman she once was.

Devastated, Annie retreats to Mystic, the remote lakeside town in the Pacific Northwest where she grew up, hoping that she can start to rebuild her life and rediscover herself. There, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, recently widowed and trying to cope with his emotionally scarred young daughter. Together, the three of them begin to heal. But just when Annie believes she’s been given a second chance at happiness, her world is turned upside down again and she is forced to make a choice that no woman in love should ever have to make.

My Thoughts:

Annie’s life has come to a complete stop, her only child has left home, and her husband has decided he doesn’t want to be with her anymore. Annie does not know what to think or do so she retreats to Mystic, where she grew up. Annie wants to build her life back up, but when she is reunited with her first love Nick, she knows she wants to help him and his daughter. They are both struggling and Annie knows she is needed in their lives to help re bond them. As things start to look up, something happens that no one could of predicted. Can they really be happy ever after again? I liked the way the story flowed, it was a predictable story line but one that had me pulled in from the start. I liked the in depth of all the characters and I thought Izzy was a very brave girl. It shows that you just have to be honest with yourself and don’t let anyone tell you any different. You got this.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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As Detective Inspector Helen Grace’s best friend fights for her life, the man responsible flees the country.

An international manhunt leads to the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, where crime is big business.

With the underworld harbouring one of its own, the local police closing ranks against an outsider, and a pair of trained assassins shadowing her every move – Helen is all alone.

Far from home – and closing in on a killer – she must rely on her instincts, her drive for justice, and her thirst for revenge.

Can she track down her target before he escapes forever? Or will she see her life and everything she loves left in ashes…?

My Thoughts:

I feel as though I have missed a couple of these books in the series. They can be read as a standalone but I think if you really want to get to know Detective Inspector Helen Grace you really need to read them in order. It is a great series. We follow D. I Helen Grace on her next investigation and after the last book she obviously had some bad things happen to her but will it interfere with this investigation. Great pace and I love it when a book makes you want to keep on reading and you don’t care about anything else. Full of turns and twists, unexpectedness and a great Detective. I loved it.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Kat Brennan has always been the work-hard, play-harder type, navigating single life in London and the chaos of her job at Northstar PR. So when Excalibur Cruises invite her aboard to pitch for their account, she jumps at the chance to prove to her boss she’s indispensable… and to finally relax a little.

But the last person she wants to get stuck on a boat with is industry hotshot Leo Kendrick, the CEO of rival agency Amplify – and Kat’s nemesis. When Leo bagged a coveted marketing internship 15 years ago, Kat vowed never to let him win anything again. She is not about to break that promise, even if Leo has become a distractingly attractive opponent.

As the Esmerelda sails the seas, from the Azores to Lisbon via Madeira, the two agencies must battle it out to present the best pitch. But in such close quarters, the sea might not be the only thing rocking the boat…

My Thoughts:

What a glorious book to wind down with. Kat is a hard working, single woman who is head strong and puts her career before anything else so when she is invited on a cruise to pitch, she knows she must show her boss what a valued member of the team she is and that she can do this for the business. But when Leo ends up on board too from a rival company, Kat needs to show everyone that she is the woman for the job, it is unfortunate that Leo is very good looking and Kat may be tempted. It was such a light and easy read. Amusing in parts and just full of sunshine, cruises, work and maybe a little romance. Light hearted and lovely.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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After a whirlwind, fairytale romance, Abigail Baskin marries freshly-minted Silicon Valley millionaire Bruce Lamb.

For their honeymoon, he whisks her away to an exclusive retreat at a friend’s resort off the Maine coast on Heart Pond Island. But once there, Abigail’s perfect new life threatens to crash down around her as she recognises one of their fellow guests as the good looking, charismatic stranger who weeks earlier had seduced her at her own Bachelorette party…

My Thoughts:

I have read a few of Peter’s books before and they were good but this one blew them all out of the park. It was phenomenal. The first chapter blew me away and I read the book in an afternoon, it did not deserve to be put down. Abigail marries Bruce, she thinks she has it all, he is a millionaire and she knows she has got the perfect life from now on. But when a mystery guest turns up at a exclusive retreat that the newlyweds are on, will they uncover the real Abigail and will her new husband find out. This was such a good read but it is so much more than you will ever think. It gets so good half way through and the turns that you think will lead you right to the point, change direction and will leave you stunned. Such a great read and I cannot wait to delve into more of Peter’s books in the future.

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Brett Novak is a young upstart chef, with real, raw talent – if only she could catch a break. After getting dumped by her married girlfriend and losing the perfect job offer, Brett accepts a temporary position as a live-in, personal chef of a reclusive, bestselling author, Carson Smart, who resides in a mansion on a secluded beach in Cape Cod.

Carson immediately seduces her, but things get complicated when Carson’s wife, Vera, arrives home from her trip, and the love/hate relationship between the two spouses erupts, leaving Brett caught in the middle. Brett, starved for attention, craves Carson’s affection and yet is oddly drawn to Vera’s seductive and destructive charms.

As Brett becomes an unwitting pawn and weapon, she questions how far husband and wife will go to wound the other. With nowhere else to turn, she has no choice but to stay – even as her hold on reality begins to slip. Can she survive her employers’ dark appetites?

My Thoughts:

It is about a woman who becomes a live In chef for a married couple. When her boss seduces her she feels drawn to the wife too but not everything is as it seems. Should she of taken the job in the first place or not. It sounded like a great thriller story line but for me it didn’t live up to the case, I felt it was slow and didn’t captivate me enough to want to keep reading it though I did in case it got better but it did not.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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It’s been five hundred and ninety days since Grace Algar was left stranded at the altar on her wedding day; nineteen months and eleven days since she last laid eyes on her ex-fiancé, Logan. Now, she spends her days nursing her broken heart in a tiny Dublin flat, while attempting to resurrect her career as a wedding-dress designer, helping to create happily-ever-afters for other brides.

When her best friend, Mia, announces that her brother – Grace’s runaway groom – is flying in from New York and will be attending her divorce party, Grace’s heartbreak feels fresher than ever and she knows she needs a plan. Preferably one involving a date who will show Logan what he’s missing. Enter Donal: a slightly chaotic Irishman who is definitely not Grace’s type. But he’s kind and keeps turning up exactly when she needs him most.

As Grace juggles her (only) bridal commission with old wounds, heartbreak and a very unexpected spark, she will learn that sometimes the wrong man can be just right – and that the best love stories are the ones you never see coming.

My Thoughts:

Grace has been left stranded. With no wedding on the horizon she goes into a big slump. But when her ex fiance is returning she decides she needs to show him what is missing and her friend Mia finds her a date. He is not like anyone Grace would ever date but he is kind and funny but who will be the one to get hurt in this situation? I can understand why Grace did it but I thought she was going to hurt her dates feelings when he found out it was just to upset her ex. But what evolves is pure genius and I loved the way the story ended. A brilliant read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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It was the small things that weighed Sarah down. The dirty dishes abandoned in the sink. The empty bottle of milk put back inside the fridge. The clothes left crumpled on the floor. A life of never-ending mental load and constant demands. Somewhere along the way, Sarah had become a caretaker for everyone around her, both at home and at work.
 
Then came the lie. One harmless white lie, she thought. Just a little shift in the narrative.
 
And for a while everything became better. But one lie wasn’t enough. It was soon followed by another. And another. Until the truth became something unrecognizable, a distant memory swallowed by fiction.
 
She never intended for it to spiral this way. It was just one little white lie. But the truth would inevitably threaten everything she held dear…

My Thoughts:

I feel as though a lot of women are going to be able to relate to this story. Sarah’s life has become stuck in a rut, she does everything for everyone else but no one does anything for her. No one treats her with respect and everyone takes her for granted, but what happens if she was not there anymore. What about if she told one little lie, would that make her a bad person? she deserves to do this right? all until it gets too much out of control can she ever get back to normality? I liked how the story flowed, it was an interesting take on what happens day to day in real life. I found it a dark and compelling read and one that makes you think about what the consequences could be. This would be good for a book club discussion to see what other people think.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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When Harriet Carmichael leaves her husband, she is determined to begin again: new home, new life, a chance to live on her own terms.

A life drawing class seems harmless enough, until she finds herself drawn to Mac, the charming but elusive model.

Her adult children disapprove of her every move, and when Mac―significantly younger and apparently homeless―moves in with her, their suspicions reach fever pitch. Yet there is an undeniable spark between Harriet and Mac, one that makes Harriet question what she truly wants from this new chapter.

While her family is convinced she’s being manipulated by a conman, Harriet longs to believe in his genuine affection. But she has secrets of her own, shaped by experiences she has never dared to share.

As buried memories rise to the surface―along with a friend she thought lost forever―Harriet must weigh her heart against her judgement. Is she finally ready to reveal who she really is, or is she making the biggest mistake of her life?

My Thoughts:

This story is about Harriet and how she navigates life after leaving her husband. She is determined to do more for herself this time round. She moves in to her own cosy home and can do what she likes when she wants. When one of her friends brings her along to a life drawing class she meets Mac. He charms her from the start and Harriet feels this could be a good thing for her. But her family don’t see eye to eye with Mac and feel as though he is taking advantage of their mum. Harriet must prove to herself and her family that Mac is the real deal even though things are moving very fast and she is not use to it. I felt as though Harriet was a bit underappreciated. I felt as though Mac saw an opportunity and went for it, but you need to read the whole story to find out. I really enjoyed reading this story however the ending really let it down and I felt extremely disappointed. The last chapter was a year later and it did not give much away and I felt as though it ended abruptly and did not really tell the reader anything. Was such a shame.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Every morning, Sophie boards the same train.

Every morning, she spots him – tall, unreadable, always with a novel in hand…often the same one she is reading.

Soon, their commute becomes a silent exchange of titles, a game only they seem to be playing. But how long can a love story stay between the lines before someone dares to take it off the page…

My Thoughts:

This is a story all about Sophie and Max, when their eyes meet across a packed train each day, they both are curious as to what the other one is reading. Without even speaking Max starts reading the same books as Sophie. But when a chance encounter between the two of them, will they have much in common? is this a blossoming love story played out over books? I liked the first half of the book, it is a very easy read with not too many characters, I liked hearing about Sophie’s friend Anna who helps her set up her book Instagram that was interesting to read about, but after half way I felt as though it slowed right down and just went a little stale and predictable. It is a shame as it had every premonition to be a great read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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