When a painting vanishes from a maritime museum – and a dead body is found nearby – the newly established Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency, Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole, are called to investigate.

Following a lead that takes them aboard a glamorous antiques cruise sailing toward the Red Sea in Jordan, they quickly discover that the ship’s art gallery is filled with stolen antiquities. Each and every one of them is also listed in Freya’s late mentor’s journals detailing unsolved cases. In chasing a murderer with a stolen painting, they may have found something more sinister than they could’ve imagined . . .

Their hunt soon turns deadly when they learn that the enigmatic and dangerous art trafficker named The Collector could be on board. But on a ship full of antiques enthusiasts – plus some unexpected familiar faces – will Freya and Carole be able to discover The Collector’s identity and stop his murderous plans before the ship docks?

Or will the killer strike again?

My Thoughts:

This is book two in The Antique Hunter’s Series, now I have not read book one yet but I loved the sound of this quirky book so thought I would give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised how much I did like it. Freya and her aunt are on a mission to discover what happen at a maritime museum, a painting has vanished and a dead body has been found but are the two related? So they both decide to investigate further and this leads them onto a cruise ship hunting down suspects, can they find out what happened before it is too late. Is someone after them too? I really enjoyed this read, I liked reading about all the different characters and trying to work out in my head whodunit. It was a interesting way of writing by the author but one that worked really well. It would make a great screen adaption. There were baddies and goodies and I was rooting for Freya and Carole. The ending was brilliant. Now I must read book one.

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

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Don’t Make Me Laugh balances anger and humour with the deftest of touches. It is a story about power and control and manipulation, about gendered roles in both the workplace and our personal lives, and about how women are set up in competition with each other. And ultimately – satisfyingly – it’s a story about fighting back.

My Thoughts:

Wow what a book, I have never had a book more powerful than this one. This would be a great book to buddy read or as a book group read as there is so many discussions to be had. It is relatable, and I felt as though I went through every emotion reading it. Everyone reading it will be able to relate to a person at any point in this book, it is crazy how I wanted to whizz through it but also wanted to cherish every moment I was reading it. I feel as I want to read it over again and want to speak to more readers about what they thought. Such a good read, one I won’t forget in a hurry.

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

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Roman Grady is the sole reporter for the local newspaper in a tiny Hudson Valley town – a town so small that every store opening is considered newsworthy. But when Roman’s longtime girlfriend Ashley, the mother of his four-year-old son, is found dead, he realises he had no idea what was really going on in her life.

And when he starts asking questions, he’s not prepared for the answers.

What was Ashley doing at the cliffside home of her troubled ex-girlfriend? How did no one in a house full of people see what happened to her? And why does it seem like everyone in town suddenly has something to hide? As Roman and his mother dig into Ashley’s last few months, the truths they uncover threaten to expose painful secrets. The kind of secrets that can get you killed.

My Thoughts:

The story is about Roman who is just living his life, he has a girlfriend and a son and he is happy. Until his girlfriend is found dead, did Roman really know her at all? what did she get up to behind his back? secrets, lies unravel to a shocking truth. Roman has to find out what happened to her to grieve the loss but is he and his son in danger too? I liked how the story flowed, there are plenty of twists and turns that you won’t be expecting. It was a really good mystery read but also how Julia has written the grief side of the story really struck me. I will be keeping my eye out for more of Julia’s books in the future. This one was brilliant.

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

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The rules were simple . . . Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.
But now I’m stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And, well, rules are made to be broken.

I’m the golden boy of professional bull riding. Or at least I was until it all blew up in my face. Now, my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running . . . A mouth I can’t stop thinking about.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. That my reputation can’t take any more hits-and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

My Thoughts:

After reading Hopeless in the Chestnut Spring Series I was excited to read all the previous books and it certainly did not disappoint. This is a series that is so easy to get into, and each book is about different characters so it keeps it fresh. We do see previous characters pop up which is nice too. This read is about a wayward cowboy needing a fresh start in life, so his manager employs his daughter to look after this cowboy. The sexual chemistry is there instantly and it does not take long for things to hot up. The bull ring is not something I necessarily agree with but it opened up my eyes to a whole new world I had never read about before. It was an easy read that I read in a day. Great escapism.

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A woman’s body lies in the heather, her neck broken. Her horse watches nervously from a few paces away.

Despite looking like an accident, it doesn’t take long for DI Callum MacLean, newly arrived in Hampshire from Glasgow, to establish she was murdered.

Nor does it take DS Daisy Donaldson, appearing soon after on horseback, long to identify the victim.

Mary-Ellen Mitchell was a well-known and seemingly well-liked businesswoman, married to a respected local artist, and part of the close-knit community.

The Scottish detective must adapt quickly to his new team, his past experience of policing a tough city jarring with the pace of Fordingbridge and their peculiar ways.

But having hoped for respite in the south, and although made welcome by Daisy, Callum soon feels like he’s being used as a pawn in someone else’s game.

However, if Callum can evade the pitfalls and marshal his team, they may well catch the wily killer hiding in the shadows of the woods.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book in the DI Callum Maclean mysteries and can be read as a standalone. I loved the setting for this book as I know The New Forest very well and could picture it as I was reading the story. When DI Callum Maclean arrives in Hampshire, he knows it will be very different to what he is use to in his home town. But he is straight on a case where his expertise come in handy. It is a lot to take on and also making acquaintances with his new work colleagues is harder than he thought. Can him and his team work together to solve the crime or will he end up thinking he wants to move back home. I thought it was a good read, strong characters and artfully keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

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

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Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realise she’s heading straight into a blizzard.

She never arrives at her destination.

Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she’s made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears.

But something isn’t right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realise she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn’t what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet.

And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself – and her unborn child.

My Thoughts:

When I saw there was a new book out by Frieda I knew I had to go and purchase it. Tegan is having a hard time at the moment and pregnant and she does not know what to do, so she goes to stay with her brother for a bit. But when she gets stuck in a blizzard, she thinks her time has come until a mystery man comes to her rescue but Tegan is unsure what he is really after. He takes her to his house and introduces Tegan to his wife but what are they up to and is Tegan ever going to be seen again. It is a fast paced nitty gritty thriller, I read this book in a day because I just didn’t want to put it down. I have to say the middle part got a little slow for me but then it got better and better. I like the way Freida writes and how the chapters are different people so you get different perspectives on the story and the outcome. A really good read.

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Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.

They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer – destined to be one another’s great love story.

Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.

But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?

My Thoughts:

After hearing good things about this book, I was excited to pick up a copy and start to read it. I liked the sound of the plot, Will and Rosie are the main characters who are both so unlike each other but something draws them closer and closer together like a magnet. They both realise they are both meant to be together but fate has other ideas and when something really bad happens, can they ever see the light at the end of the tunnel? Then we go to the future and see how the years have amounted with the both of them, can they be finally be happy once again? I instantly liked both Will and Rosie, which made me feel more invested in the story. Claire the author has a unique way of writing which I felt told the story perfectly. However I did find the story lacked something, I felt bored when I got to halfway and a bit lack lustre. I had every hopes that this was going to be a good read but It was not for me.

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Don’t trust everyone you meet here…

A young British backpacker goes missing on the West Coast Trail.

No one is sure whether she died or simply disappeared.

Apart from Laura.

Twenty years later, a body has been found.

And there’s only one person who could reveal the secret that Laura’s been hiding all this time.

But she knows that two can keep a secret.

IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD.

My Thoughts:

I have read a couple of Jenny’s books now and really enjoyed them, this one I thought was ok but not as good as her previous books. Many years ago Maisie goes on the adventure of a lifetime with her best mate Ruth who consequently lets her down but Maisie still wants to go on the adventure so she goes alone. Meeting with Seraphine and Ric fellow backpackers she thinks she is going to have the best time of her life whilst she is still young but things start to go from bad to worse and someone ends up dead. Twenty years on a body has been found, but the two remaining people who left that holiday are worried the past is going to be dragged up, will the killer be found out? I found the story interesting, some of the chapters were left on a cliff hanger so I felt compelled to read on but I just felt this story was too slow for my liking and a little repetitive. The ending did not really shock me either.

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