This is not a romance, but it is about love

Two kids meet in a hospital gaming room in 1987. One is visiting her sister, the other is recovering from a car crash. The days and months are long there. Their love of video games becomes a shared world — of joy, escape and fierce competition. But all too soon that time is over, fades from view.

When the pair spot each other eight years later in a crowded train station, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is immediate, and together they get to work on what they love – making games to delight, challenge and immerse players, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. Their collaborations make them superstars.

This is the story of the perfect worlds Sadie and Sam build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success: Money. Fame. Duplicity. Tragedy.

My Thoughts:

This was such a fantastic read, one that is all about family, friends, love and loss. I was expecting it too be good but not as good as it actually was. Sadie and Sam are the main characters, their worlds collide when they meet in a hospital and connect with their love of video games, but all too soon their time is up together, it was lovely to see how their friendship blossomed. Fast forward many years later and when they spot each other again the spark they felt all those years ago comes back. Can they finally be happy or will tragedy strike once more? I found it a very interesting concept and also a thought provoking novel that you will not want to put down. I think this book is going to be such a big hit. It would be brilliant if it got made into a movie.

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

Get your copy here:

She forgot about her childhood friend… until his body is found under her garden. Can she prove she didn’t commit the decades-old murder?

Lucy Freeman struggles to find satisfaction in life. Trapped in the shadow of her rock star brother, the thirty-two-year-old craves more than her days at home caring for her terminally ill mother. But her routine takes a turn for the horrifying when a giant sinkhole collapses the earth outside their house and reveals a skeleton.

Shocked to discover the bones belong to a former member of her sibling’s band, Lucy’s worst nightmare comes alive when police suspect her of the killing. And as she turns to her dying parent’s diaries in a desperate search for vindication, she’s entangled in a dark and complicated truth.

Will unearthing long-buried wrongs prove lethal?

My Thoughts:

I read this book in one sitting, it is a fairly short psychological thriller that packs a punch. It is full of tension and suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Twists and turns creep into the chapters and before long you realise you are nearing the end. I loved the plot and there is a lot of secrets that are unrevealed that the reader will not expect let alone know what is coming. It was brilliant and so my kind of read.

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

Get your copy here:

It’s Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6

Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren’t even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?

And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn’t think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he’s dealing with someone far, far worse – a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again . . .

My Thoughts:

This author has been on my radar for a while and to be honest I don’t know why I have not read one of his books until now. That is definitely going to change from now on. WOW WOW WOW! is all I can say about this story. Just when I think I couldn’t love another thriller anymore, this book comes along and blows all the ones I have previously liked out of the water. It is going to be a hard act to follow now. This had everything a thriller should be but so much more. In depth characters, fantastic setting and descriptions. Many twists and turns that actually had me gasping as they were least expected. You wont want to put it down. I loved it so much I am now going to buy all his other books as I need more of a fix.

Get your copy here:

An Impossible Crime Scene
A wealthy woman is found brutally murdered in the locked fortress of her London mansion. Surrounding her are four mysterious objects, including a book on forensics by Dr Laughton Rees.
 
An Inescapable Past
As a teenager, Laughton’s life was destroyed after witnessing her mother’s brutal murder. Now a mother herself and forensic analyst, she is an expert on how to read crime scenes – but never works live cases.
 
An Uncatchable Killer
Pressured by the lead detective to help with the investigation, Laughton begins to realise that the objects left by the body are not just about the victim, they’re also about her. Her childhood was destroyed by one killer. Now she must catch another before her daughter’s is destroyed too.

My Thoughts:

This was an exceptionally brilliant thriller that had me feeling as though my heart was in my mouth the whole time wondering what was going to happen and the anticipation that builds through this book was terrific. This story is a murder mystery at it’s finest, also the procedurals were most interesting and I found out things I never knew. There are two stories running alongside each other and when we see them intertwine, the story takes a dramatic turn that kept me hooked till the end. This is a superb and riveting story that you won’t want to put down. I cannot wait to read more by Simon.

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

Get your copy here:

In a lonely valley, deep in the mountains, a ranger watches over the last surviving grizzly bear.

With the natural world exhausted and in tatters, Ben has dedicated himself to protecting this single fragment of the wild.

One night, he hears voices in the valley – poachers, come to hunt his bear.

A heart-pounding chase begins, crossing forests and mountainsides, passing centuries of human ruins. Sometimes hunter, sometimes prey – Ben must choose the bear’s fate and his own.

Is he willing to lay down his life for a dying breed?

Is he willing to kill for it?

My Thoughts:

I love reading something a bit different and this story intrigued me, Ben is a ranger who lives deep in the mountains, his job is to protect the last surviving grizzly bear. But when poachers come in the night, can he protect the bear from them. It is a heart pounding moment and you feel as though you are there in the thick of it, praying the bear doesn’t become their latest victim. It is a struggle for Ben as he fights his way across the mountains to protect the last surviving grizzly bear. Would you risk your own life for the fate of a bear? the story had me thinking the whole way through what if? I really enjoyed this incredible read, one that will stay with me.

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

Get your copy here:

In London, private investigator Dr Rayhana Crane is contacted by a woman who has received an unexpected letter from her estranged son Jason, not seen since he left to become a fighter for Islamic State. When his steps are traced back to the old stomping ground of her partner, Cal Drake, the former policeman goes undercover to infiltrate the sinister network which took Jason abroad.

Meanwhile, Crane pursues a woman whose seemingly unconnected disappearance off the English coast is soon found to reveal a deadlier connection. As the two investigators delve deeper, they find themselves mired in a violent world where terror and organised crime intersect.

My Thoughts:

This is book three in the A Crane and Drake Mystery, you can read these books as a standalone which I have done. It was an ok read but it was a bit long and drawn out and I didn’t find I gelled with any of the characters. I had to put it too one side for a few days and come back to it, I kind of wanted to finish it to see what would happen. The ending was good though.

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

Get your copy here:

Nasrin and Sabrina are two sisters, who on the face of things live successful and enviable lives in London and New York.  When their father, Shamsur suddenly dies, they rush to be with their mother at the family home and restaurant in Wales, but reluctantly step back into the stifling world of their childhood.

When Shamsur’s will is read, a devastating secret is revealed that challenges all that people thought and loved about him. It also profoundly changes the lives and identities of the sisters, and creates an irreparable family rift…

My Thoughts:

I just want to say how beautiful the cover of this book is, it really gives off those Summer vibes. I feel as though this book is going to be a big hit when it is released, and for it to be a debut novel too just blew me away. The writing is superb and really puts the reader at the heart of the story and pulls on their heart strings with the way the story unfolds. It is about two sisters who have a good life living in London and New York, until one day some dreadful happens to their father and they have to rush back to the their family home in Wales. But the sisters are reluctant to return and then things change when important documents come to light, can the sisters sort it all out? I found it an interesting and poignant story about family ties and belonging. I also thought about the story when I was not reading it and wondered what I would do if I was part of that family. Such a great read and I look forward to seeing what Nilopar the author writes about next.

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

Get your copy here:

London E17, 2019. A yellow kitchen stands as a metaphor for the lifelong friendship between three women: Claude, the baker, goal-orientated Sophie and political Giulia. They have the best kind of friendship, chasing life and careers; dating, dreaming and consuming but always returning to be reunited in the yellow kitchen.

That is, until a trip to Lisbon unravels unexplored desires between Claude and Sophie. Having sex is one thing, waking up the day after is the beginning of something new.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this short read, we meet three friends who all different in their own right but make the perfect friendship together. They all have their own lives but they always meet up in the yellow kitchen which has become a hub of activities and secrets shared. The story explores friendship, love and food. They go to Lisbon together and things get steamy between Claude and Sophie but can it be the start of something or should friends never cross that line? It was a complex and engaging story and a perfect book to read in one sitting.

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

Get your copy here:

One private island. Seven guests. One killer…

The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read…

Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.

Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.

Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…

My Thoughts:

This will be a great beach read but for me it was a bit of a let down. It feels very samey to other books I have read. It is a locked room book and a who dun it? I didn’t gel with any of the characters and felt as though the story was a bit slow and drawn out. I did guess who the killer was fairly early on even with the red herrings and the twists. It is a shame as it could of been really good.

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

Get your copy here:

Lies can be buried… Secrets always come to the surface

Amarante is paradise…
An uninhabited, unspoilt island somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Only those who know it exists can find it.
 
But paradise comes with a price…
Virginie and Jake sail to Amarante for their honeymoon, but they are not alone.
They have to adjust to life on the island with five strangers.
 
And not everyone will live to tell the tale…
Dark secrets surface and their dream abruptly turns into a nightmare.
Removed from society, they find out what they’re truly capable of.

My Thoughts:

This is a debut thriller at it’s best, it is full of tension, suspicion and intrigue. When Virginie and Jake sail to a remote island they think they would have a relaxing time away but little did they know they would have to spend their days with five complete strangers. A web of lies, dark secrets and suspicious people make this such a gripping read that you won’t want to put down. You never truly know what you are going to discover in the next chapter. Some really interesting characters too added to the mix which made the book seem more alive. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing what Emma the author comes up with her next book.

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

Get your copy here: