The Art of Death By David Fennell

4 February , 20214 February , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

Death is an art, and he is the master . . .

Three glass cabinets appear in London’s Trafalgar Square containing a gruesome art installation: the floating corpses of three homeless men. Shock turns to horror when it becomes clear that the bodies are real.

The cabinets are traced to @nonymous – an underground artist shrouded in mystery who makes a chilling promise: MORE WILL FOLLOW.

Eighteen years ago, Detective Inspector Grace Archer escaped a notorious serial killer. Now, she and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must hunt down another.

As more bodies appear at London landmarks and murders are livestreamed on social media, their search for @nonymous becomes a desperate race against time. But what Archer doesn’t know is that the killer is watching their every move – and he has his sights firmly set on her . . .

He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.

My Thoughts:

This is a serial killer thriller at it’s best. And this is a debut novel which I couldn’t get over as it is absolutely brilliant. Once you start reading, you wont want to stop, it is very dark and twisty and the further you get into the story, the further you get drawn in more. Bodies are appearing at London Landmarks and the murder is live streaming them on the internet, for all to see. Can DI Grace Archer find out who the killer is and stop them before it is too late? I found the writing descriptive and there are parts that are a little gruesome but I was not put off, books like this make you more aware of your surroundings and I did have to check over my shoulder a couple of times. Creepy and dark but oh so good. I cannot wait for David’s next book now.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Eleanor Stammeijer @bonnierbooks for sending me a copy.

Get your copy here:

The Shadow Man By Helen Fields

4 February , 20214 February , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 4 Comments

He collects his victims. But he doesn’t keep them safe.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go.

Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth.

Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.

And he’s watching.

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Helen’s books and I couldn’t wait to read this book, If you like tense, creepy, scary books, then this is the one for you, I loved how when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. Helen never disappoints and always has you guessing. My skin crawled reading this book, it was very eerie but made me want to read on. Three victims are taken and locked up but they have no idea why. What they discover in there will break your heart, The shadow man is a dangerous man who has got issues himself, what will happen when his victims try to escape, him being weak himself, will they make it? It all wraps up into a outstanding ending. I cannot wait to read Helen’s next book.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book.

Get your copy here:

The Sanatorium By Sarah Pearse

4 February , 20214 February , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

EVERYONE’S IN DANGER. ANYONE COULD BE NEXT.

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . .

My Thoughts:

If you want a spine tingling, creepy read this is the one for you, I t is a very well described story, the author Sarah has clearly done a lot of research into the Sanatorium. I felt as though I learnt quite a bit as I had never heard of one before let alone what they did there. I found this story had me on edge, I couldn’t work out where the story was being lead, the descriptions of the different things in the hotel gave me chills and so did what happened back in the day before it turned into a hotel. A tense and chilling read, the ending left me with goosebumps.

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

Get your copy here:

kindle edition

paperback

All The Twats I Met Along The Way By Carolyn Hobdey

1 February , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 4 Comments

“All The Twats I Met Along The Way is Carolyn Hobdey’s story that a million and one women are going to resonate with, laugh along with, sigh and cry with. It’s a story of growing up, moving on, falling down and getting back up again. Transformation and acceptance, strength and resilience.”

My Thoughts:

As I started reading this book, I was curious to find out what Twats she was actually talking about, as you get more into the book you realise that there are many Twats she meets along the way. I really felt as though I could relate to this book, it feels refreshing for women to talk about their problems especially when it is regards to their health. I sympathise with all the medical side of things as I have been there before many times. I wasn’t sure if I would get or even like this book, but it really is an eye opener into many different things. I like the fact that she has opened up about good things but also bad things, there is lots going on but it just makes you want to read quicker. This is also the first book in the trilogy so it will be great to see what she gets up to next. This book really stands out to me.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you to lovereading for sending me a copy.

https://www.lovereading.co.uk/

Get your copy here:

What I Did By Kate Bradley

22 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Lisa is running.
She has taken her child, Jack, and she has run from his father.

Lisa thinks she’s safe.
She’s found a remote house where no one will be able to find them.

Lisa is about to wake up in her worst nightmare.
And now she must face what she’s tried to escape.

Risking everything to protect her little boy, Lisa knows that in order to survive she will have to fight, but it’s hard to face someone you loved, especially someone you still love, who knows who you really are – and what you are really capable of.

Family is everything. What would you do to protect it?

My Thoughts:

This was a great read with twists and turns galore. Lisa and her son Jack are on the run, they are running away from Jack’s father, the book switches from past to present and I felt as though it was easy to keep on track. I like Kate’s writing and will be looking for more of her books in the future. There is alot at stake and it is made to feel as though it is pressurized, though in a good way. It makes for a tense and thrilling story.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Zaffre for sending me a copy.

Get your copy here:

Shiver By Allie Reynolds

21 January , 202121 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 2 Comments

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

My Thoughts:

This is a story of five competitive snowboarders who get stranded on top of a mountain, there are lies, betrayals and secrets and someone out for revenge, but who is guilty? You have the added bonus of learning about the world of competitive snowboarding which I liked and found interesting, I have tried snowboarding in the past and liked it. The book is full of suspense and suspicion, you never really know who is telling the truth or not. It felt claustrophobic and intense up there and I am in doubt that it would of been. I have been reading about the author Allie and have learnt that she use to compete as a snowboarder and also has spent quite a few winters in different places that has mountains. I always love the fact that the authors have actually spent time doing things that are written into their books, it makes it feel more special, they are speaking from experiences.

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

Get your copy here:

Girl A By Abigail Dean

21 January , 202121 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 3 Comments

‘Girl A,’ she said. ‘The girl who escaped. If anyone was going to make it, it was going to be you.’

Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped. When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared.

My Thoughts:

Tissues are a must with this read, I literally felt heartbroken to discover what these poor children had gone through. I like how the book is written, before and now, it gives a really good background in what happened before and how Lex is now. It is a very powerful read of love and horror that I will never be able to forget, you never know if a child right now is suffering like these children had to. You can never imagine what they went through, and you probably wouldn’t want to but seeing the woman Lex is today makes me proud of her and what she has gone through. The fact that this book is a debut is incredible, I cannot wait for Abigail the author’s next book. A book has never hot me so hard and it will stay with me for a long time.

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

Get your copy here:

The Charmed Wife By Olga Grushin

21 January , 202121 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

Cinderella married the man of her dreams – the perfect ending she deserved after diligently following all the fairy-tale rules. Yet now, two children and thirteen-and-a-half years later, things have gone badly wrong.

One night, she sneaks out of the palace to get help from the Witch who, for a price, offers love potions to disgruntled housewives. But as the old hag flings the last ingredients into the cauldron, Cinderella doesn’t ask for a love spell to win back her Prince Charming.

Instead, she wants him dead.

My Thoughts:

When we hear of Cinderella we think of a happy ever after don’t we? what happens if that doesn’t happen? taking a part fairy tales and marriage is what Olga has done to this story, it is cleverly written with a hint of humour. I personally thought back to all the fairy tales I knew from my childhood and I like the way that it picks up the story a few years after her and Prince Charming got married. There is an important message behind the story but be careful you don’t get put under the spell.

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

Get your copy here:

Ask No Questions By Claire Allan

21 January , 202121 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 1 Comment

Not all secrets are meant to come out…

Twenty-five years ago, on Halloween night, eight-year-old Kelly Doherty went missing while out trick or treating with friends.
Her body was found three days later, floating face down, on the banks of the Creggan Reservoir by two of her young classmates.
It was a crime that rocked Derry to the core. Journalist Ingrid Devlin is investigating – but someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. As she digs further, Ingrid starts to realise that the Doherty family are not as they seem. But will she expose what really happened that night before it’s too late?

My Thoughts:

I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. Claire is an amazing author that leaves the reader really feeling the anticipation into where the story is heading. I felt the unease at the start and it didn’t let up until the last few sentences. I became so engrossed with this story that I didn’t realise I had nearly finished it. What makes a good psychological thriller is this book right here, with twists and turns at every corner and the ending was superb. Each chapter is a different person so you feel as though you are getting their background aswell as the story, which makes it even more exciting to read. If you haven’t read a book by Claire Allan before I would highly recommend her books.

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

Get your copy here:

Rescue Me By Sarra Manning

21 January , 202121 January , 2021 by Hannah ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Margot doesn’t have time for love.

Will is afraid to love.

And neither of them are expecting to fall in love with Blossom: a gentle Staffy with a tragic past, a belly made for rubbing and a head the size of a football.

After their first meeting at the rescue centre, both Margot and Will want to adopt Blossom so reluctantly agree to share custody. But Will’s obsession for micro-managing and clear-cut boundaries and Margot’s need to smother Blossom with affection, means that soon they have a very confused and badly behaved dog on their hands.

Can they put their differences aside to become successful “co-pawrents” and maybe even friends? And meanwhile, does Blossom have plans of her own?

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this uplifting and warm read. Any books that involve animals is right up my street. There happens to be a lovely dog called Blossom who is looking for a new home who has not had the best start in life, this tugged on my heart strings. When Will and Margot both need something to love and chance upon the same dog in the rescue center that they warm to, they both want her and Blossom can’t believe her luck. Will Blossom get what she has always wanted or will “co Pawrenting” be an absolute disaster. A funny and uplifting story that will definitely pull on the old heart strings.

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

Get your copy here: