#BlogTour #Review : The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge by Julie Stock. @wood_beez48 @rararesources #Giveaway

Today I’m taking part in the mini blog tour for The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.

Blurb: When Olivia goes to manage Finn’s failing bistro, will they end up sharing a table for two, or will it be a recipe for disaster?

Olivia Fuller longs to manage one of the restaurants in her father’s chain and to break free to live the independent life she’s wanted for so long. When her father finally puts his trust in her and sends her to a failing restaurant in Devon, she’s confident she can prove herself capable of doing the job.

Finn Anderson is about to lose his beloved seaside bistro, unless the bank can find a buyer to dig him out. When George Fuller offers Finn a deal, he has no choice but to accept if he wants any chance of getting his bistro back one day. And then the new manager arrives…

Even after meeting the prickly chef and discovering his complete lack of business skills,
Olivia is confident she can turn the struggling business round. But as Olivia and Finn start working together, a mutual attraction develops between them, and soon, nothing is going according to Olivia’s plan.

When there’s a real chance that the bistro might be sold off, Olivia and Finn determine to fight for it, united by their hard work and their growing feelings for each other.

But can they save the bistro and be together, or does destiny have a different path in mind?

A feel-good contemporary romance set in a bistro beside the sea in Devon.

Purchase Links
US – https://www.amazon.com/Bistro-Watersmeet-Bridge-Julie-Stock-ebook/dp/B07V2K5K8S
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bistro-Watersmeet-Bridge-Julie-Stock-ebook/dp/B07V2K5K8S

My Review: I really enjoyed this book, it’s a light and easy read which deals well with the emotions of Olivia and Finn who are struggling with their careers in different ways. Olivia is trying to make her father understand she can do a better job than he believes, and Finn wants to save his restaurant and not feel he’s let the previous owners down.

I liked the way the story unfolded, though I felt the pace was a bit faster than I felt it should be. It was good to see the story switch between Olivia and Finn and give us insights into their lives and how they felt about their challenges and each other. All of the characters, both main and supporting, were well-written and realistic, ones that you felt you could relate too or dislike and for good reason.

It was nice to see the development of both Olivia and Finn through the course of the story. It was also good to see how the village interacted with them and watch the village almost become a character in itself.

I like reading stories of people dealing with obstacles and seeing if/how they overcome them. This is the ideal story if you want something warm and cosy but also something that is uplifting and deals with real-life challenges.

Giveaway to Win Signed copy of The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridget and goodies (UK Only)

The prize will contain
 Signed paperback,
 Notebook with front cover on
 Postcard magnet with front cover on
 Bookmark with front cover on
 Bag of Devon fudge
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box
below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and
will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then
Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to
all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is
used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the
data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

To enter click this link…..
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494266/?

About the author: Julie Stock writes contemporary feel-good romance from around the world: novels, novellas and short stories. She published her debut novel, From Here to Nashville, in February 2015 and her second novel, The Vineyard in Alsace in March 2017. Over You (Sam’s Story) and Finding You (Jenna’s Story), her follow-up novellas to From Here to Nashville were published in 2018, making the From Here to You series complete. She has also published a boxed set of the From Here to You trilogy of books. Julie’s next novel, The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge, will be out in summer 2019. If you’d like to sign up to her newsletter list, you can do so here: https://mailchi.mp/f3a7d28c0ab8/julie-stockcouk . As a thank you, you’ll be able to download Before You, the prequel story to the From Here to You series, for free.
You can connect with Julie via her website – http://www.julie-stock.co.uk , on Twitter – @wood_beez48, via her Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/JulieStockAuthor , and on Instagram – @julie.stockauthor. Julie is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.

When she is not writing, she works in communications. She is married and lives with her family in Bedfordshire in the UK.

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#BlogTour #PromoPost : Fixed Odds by William McIntyre @cerisanne @sandstonepress #williammcintyre #fixedodds

Today I’m meant to be reviewing Fixed Odds but recent illness has meant I’ve been unable to concentrate on any reading. Once I’m recovered I will be reading and reviewing this book but for today I’m sharing the blurb to whet your appetite.

Huge thanks to Ceris at Sandstone Press for having me on the tour and sending a copy of the book for review.

Blurb:   George ‘Genghis’ McCann has stolen – and lost – a priceless masterpiece. Snooker champion Oscar ‘The Showman’ Bowman is charged with betting fraud. With a second baby on the way, and promises of great rewards if he wins Bowman’s case and recovers the painting, defence lawyer Robbie Munro has never been so tempted to fix the odds in his favour.

About the author:

William McIntyre is a partner in Scotland’s oldest law firm Russel + Aitken, specialising in criminal defence. He has been instructed in many interesting and high-profile cases over the years and now turns fact into fiction with his Robbie Munro legal thrillers. He is married with four sons.

#BlogTour #Review : The Cinderella Plan by Abi Silver. @abisilver16 @rararesources @EyeAndLightning

Blurb: When James Salisbury, the owner of a British car manufacturer, ploughs his ‘self-drive’ car into a young family, the consequences are deadly. Will the car’s ‘black box’ reveal what really happened or will the industry, poised to launch these products to an eager public, close ranks to cover things up?

James himself faces a personal dilemma. If it is proved that he was driving the car he may go to prison. But if he is found innocent, and the autonomous car is to blame, the business he has spent most of his life building, and his dream of safer transport for all, may collapse.

Lawyers Judith Burton and Constance Lamb team up once again, this time to defend a man who may not want to go free, in a case that asks difficult questions about the speed at which technology is taking over our lives.

Purchase Links

Readers can order the book from the Lightning Books website at 50% off (with free UK p&p) if you enter this code at checkout – BLOGTOURCIND

http://eye-books.com/books/the-cinderella-plan

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cinderella-Plan-thriller-topical-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B07R857W32

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Cinderella-Plan-thriller-topical-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B07R857W32

Giveaway to Win 5 x PB of The Cinderella Plan (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494247/?

My Review: When I saw the blurb for this book I thought it would be an interesting read. I am not a fan of driverless cars because I don’t feel technology can adjust to unexpected changes the way people can. Perhaps in 20 years but certainly not sooner. This story, however, is set in a Britain poised on the edge of the possibility of autonomous cars becoming an everyday sight on the roads. It shows the people involved in Parliament, care insurance and the car manufacturers grappling with the various intricacies of bringing such a thing onto the roads on a large scale and, even more importantly perhaps, trying to determine liability if something goes wrong.

And then, something does and we see the consequences of that, the impact of it on the person in the car, the family that it hit and the other characters in the story. All of the perspectives of these people are handled well, from the grieving and angry father to the person who was in the car, James Salisbury, who remembers nothing and wants to get to the heart of what happened.

We see the debates about autonomous cars, the accident, the investigation and court case and then the consequences of the verdict. The whole thing from start to finish is thoroughly covered so exactly as it would be if it were to happen in real life, it doesn’t skim over the unpleasant bits but shows all of it.

I liked the debating, for this is likely to be an endless, unanswerable question so to have so much debate and conflicting viewpoints was good to see. I did find the book a little long but I suspect the length was necessary for the debates and depth that it covered.

If you like reading books that examine puzzles from all angles and attempt to answer unanswerable questions then this may be right up your street. It has a cast of solidly realistic characters and plenty of ‘what if’ questions to ponder over.

About the author:

Yorkshire-bred, Abi Silver is a lawyer by profession. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and three sons. Her first courtroom thriller featuring the legal duo Judith Burton and Constance Lamb, The Pinocchio Brief, was published by Lightning Books in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. Her follow-up The Aladdin Trial, featuring the same legal team, was published in 2018.

Read more about Abi and her work at www.abisilver.co.uk .

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @abisilver16

Facebook: Abi Silver, Author

#BlogTour #Review : Forget My Name by J. S. Monroe. @JSThrillers @HoZ_Books

Today I’m on the blog tour for Forget My Name. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of the book for review.

Blurb:

She is outside your front door.

She got on the train after a difficult week at work. Her bag had been stolen, and with it, her identity. Her whole life was in there – passport, wallet, house key. When she tried to report the theft, her mind went blank. She couldn’t even remember her name.

She says she lives in your house.

Now she’s outside Tony and Laura’s front door. She is certain she lives in their home. But they have never met her before.

Would you let her in?

My Review: I ws intrigued by the sound of this book and the question it posed. Would you let someone in if they arrived your house and claimed it was theirs? Would I? I honestly don’t know so i wanted to read the book and see what the characters in it would do. I have to admit that it took me a while to get into it, it was good but I wasn’t sure where it was heading at the beginning. It kept stringing me along, in a good way, and then suddenly it changed. I wouldn’t call it a twist because I hate those descriptions but suddenly we got more clarity without getting any clarity at all. The pace kicked up a gear and it became more like the story I had been expecting.

The characters were good, some I liked and some I found irritating but it felt a lot like the mixture in a village would be, a random group of people brought together simply because they all live in the same place. I can honestly say happily I’ve never suffered from amnesia but the main characters confusion felt realistic and her fear and sense of loss came across really strongly. It was fascinating following her journey and finding out what she did and what happened next.

Although it took me a little time to get into the story, once I did it was definitely worth continuing with. I really enjoyed this story, it kept me guessing all the way through and I will definitely be checking out this authors future works.

About the author:

J.S. Monroe read English at Cambridge, worked as a foreign correspondent in Delhi, and was Weekend editor of the Daily Telegraph in London before becoming a full-time writer. Monroe is the author of six novels, including the international bestseller, Find Me.

#BlogTour #Review : The Butcher by Nathan Burrows. @NathanBurrowsUK @damppebbles

Thrilled today to be starting the tour for a most unusual book. Many thanks to Emma at damppebbles blog tours for having me and sending me a copy of the book to review.

Blurb: She thought it was pork. She was wrong.
The first time hapless food inspector Emily Underwood meets butcher Frank Pinch, he’s not got much at all in his display counters. But what he does have is a rather unusual plan to restock his shelves. The next time they bump into each other, he’s won an award for his sausages but is running out of meat.
Can Frank keep up production of his unusually tasty sausages? Will Emily discover the source of Frank’s award-winning meat? And what will happen the next time she tries to inspect his butcher’s shop?

Book 1 in the Rub-a-Dub-Dub trilogy, this deliciously British dark comedy will change the way you look at sausages forever.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FCVB791/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Butcher-Rub-Dub-Dub-Book-ebook/dp/B07FCVB791/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+butcher+nathan+burrows&qid=1561548847&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Google Books: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Butcher.html?id=fpnZuQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-butcher-14

Extra Information:
The Butcher is available to download in ebook format for only 99p/99c for a limited time.

My Review: It doesn’t take a genius to guess at what the ‘not pork’ actually is. However, even guessing correctly doesn’t detract from what is a dark and funny read. I read this book in a day, yep 1 day, I genuinely could not put it down. The story is set in an UK post Brexit where there are no EU imports so Frank is struggling to run his butcher’s shop. Through a serious of random accidents and misunderstandings Frank ends up with an award for his sausages which are created by his brother Tom who runs their farm.

Essentially this is a story about two brothers trying to survive in a world which has been the subject of changes that have affected them quite severely. This is also a story of near-misses, grisly humour and how we don’t always know what will happen next. I’m not squeamish so didn’t happily have any issues with that side of the story. I enjoyed the characters, I didn’t like all of them but that’s understandable as some were just cringe inducing and smarmy and no one likes people like that. The descriptions were good, detailed a ough but not too detailed.

The thing about this book though, is the fact that you know from page 1 what is happening. There’s no mystery to solve but what kept me reading was wondering when/if the truth will be discovered and what would happen next. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste (ha ha) but it will definitely appeal to those who like their stories dark and with macabre humour. And apparently I am one of those people, who knew, thankfully there are more in the series so I have something new to get stuck into……..

About the author:

Nathan Burrows is a writer based in Norfolk in the United Kingdom. His debut novel, a legal thriller called ‘Blind Justice’, was published in March 2018.

He’s also the author of a dark comedy trilogy set in Norfolk. The first in the series is ‘The Butcher’, a deliciously funny story about – amongst other things – sausages. The second in the series is ‘The Baker’, which features Norfolk’s most useless cult. And finally, ‘The Candlestick Maker’ is about a fitness instructor with a difference.

The next book to be released will be ‘Man Down’, a return to more traditional thrillers. It’s a military story set in Afghanistan which will be released in the Autumn, 2019. Also releasing later in the year is ‘Finding Milly’, which explores just how far a man will go to find his missing daughter.

Nathan’s a keen reader as well as a writer. He occasionally runs marathons, has a Norwich City football club season ticket, and is the proud part-owner of a Daschund puppy called Bertie.

For more information, visit http://www.nathanburrows.com

Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathanBurrowsUK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NathanBurrowsUK/
Website: https://nathanburrows.com/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nathan-Burrows/e/B079KS96CQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

#BlogTour #Review : The Little Village of Happiness by Holly Martin. @HollyMAuthor

I am over the moon to be taking part in another tour for a Holly Martin book. This is a fabulous read and you can read my review below and the thoughts of others on the tour, just check out the graphic directly below for details. Many thanks to Holly for inviting me to be on the tour and for sending a copy of the book for review.

Blurb:  Fall head-over-heels in love with the beautiful new novel from bestselling author Holly Martin and let The Little Village of Happiness warm your heart and make your spirits soar.

Willow McKay needs a fresh start. Her recent break-up may not have left her heartbroken but it’s certainly wounded her pride. Desperate to escape the whispers and stares of her town’s gossips, an advert offering homes in a picturesque village in the grounds of a majestic castle on the Cornish coast sounds like just what she needs. Without thinking twice Willow applies for a cottage and packs up her life for the village of Happiness.

But when Willow arrives she finds a crumbling ruin and ramshackle cottages, nothing like the pretty picture the advert had boasted. It seems Happiness was too good to be true. That is until she meets the incredibly handsome estate manager Andrew Harrington…

His passion for restoring the village to its former glory is contagious and soon they are working together to bring happiness back to Happiness. And as sparks fly between them Willow can feel herself falling. But Andrew is holding something back.

Can Willow risk her heart again? And will they succeed in transforming the old village to its original beauty before it’s too late?

Get swept away to the sun-kissed Cornish coast with this gorgeous love story, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Miranda Dickinson and Lucy Diamond.

 

 

My Review:  I’ve read quite a few of Holly’s books and like the style and storylines so I did expect to enjoy this one. However, my level of expectation didn’t match reality….. I loved this book! It was such a warm and joyous tale of starting over, trying something new and taking a chance on a leap into he unknown. So many of us stagnate because we are scared to risk, scared of change, so it was lovely and refreshing to read something about someone realising that they wanted to change their life and went for it. This isn’t the only book like this out there, I read another one not that long ago but I think this one is easier to relate to as the main character, Willow, moves to a different part of the country to start over somewhere new. However, when she reaches this new place it’s not as she expected and this is where we find out what she’s made of, whether she will have a go or whether she will turn round and leave and go back to the familiar.

I really liked Willow, I’m not usually a fan of overly happy people that are all smiles at 6am but for some reason, this one I liked. She had such enthusiasm for life that I ended up questioning where my own was as I’m sure I used to be more like that, many years ago. I liked the other characters as well but it was Willow who stood out for me. The setting was stunning, I was hoping at one point that it was real and considering if I had any useful skills. Although it is a summery read, lots of late nights and sunshine, I would argue that it could be read at any time of year and would be a perfect cosy, winter warmer. Regardless of when you read it I hope you’ll fall in love with the characters and location as I did and then get excited about the next book from this fabulous author.

 

About the author:

Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.

Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the bestselling author of 18 books.

Follow her on Twitter @HollyMAuthor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#BlogTour #Review : The Anglesey Murders by Conrad Jones. @ConradJones @BOTBSPublicity

Today I’m on the blog tour for The Anglesey Murders.  Many thanks to BOTBS Publicity for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.

 

Blurb:  DI Alan Williams is called to the recovery of two bodies from the sea at Trearddur Bay, during a storm. The lifeboat crew suspect they’re fishermen, washed away by a wave but they’re wrong. Alan and his detective sergeant, Kim Davies, realise the men were beaten and tied together before they entered the water. Two miles along the headland at Porth Dafarch, a third victim is found but there are no obvious links. As the number of victims increases, a major investigation team battles to unravel a deadly puzzle which, appears to have links to a series of historic murders from the 90’s.

In 1995, Peter Moore owned and operated the cinema in Holyhead. It is thought he assaulted over 40 men and he was arrested and charged with four murders, which he’d committed in as many months. He was jailed for life in 1996 and is still the only recorded Welsh serial killer. Fast forward to today and Detective Inspector Alan Williams is investigating a series of murders with uncanny similarities to the Peter Moore attacks. Is there a copycat on the loose or are the murders connected to the local underworld, which controls the supply of narcotics across North Wales and the North West? Finding a motive, is the challenge he might not win.

ALL THE TIME THEY’RE TRACKING THE KILLER, THE KILLER IS STALKING THEM…

 

 

My Review:  Despite the fact I have read, a lot of crime fiction this is, as far as I’m aware, the first crime book I’ve read set in Wales.  I’ve recently realised that I don’t read any Welsh crime fiction and as I have some Welsh blood in my veins I decided this needed to change, happily around the same time that I got an email about this book. I tend not to read books involving the underworld or drug dealing, they just aren’t my first choice of reads but this book sounded intriguing with references to a serial killer from the 90s and hints that there was more to it than drugs and as it turns out I was correct.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve never been to Anglesey but I got a real sense of the place from the descriptions in the book. The weather I can relate to but the areas mentioned were new to me but brilliantly described. In a quiet moment at work one day I looked up Porth Dafarch and although I thought it was a bit larger than it is the description in the book was spot on, the open space, the exposure to the weather and everything else that was described fitted brilliantly, the only thing my searching added was confirmation that this author does excellent descriptions.

I love police procedurals even though I do wonder if crime fiction is getting a bit over-saturated with them, however, this one was a breath of fresh air.  The characters were relatable and DI Alan Williams has his issues to deal with but they didn’t dominate the story or impact his ability to do his job, when they were mentioned it was because they were relevant to the understanding of him and to the story. The investigations were cleanly handled in a way that made them easy to follow and I liked that. I also liked seeing DI Williams being involved or overseeing them all, it helped prevent the various strands of the story from becoming confusing which can happen when you have many murders that may or may not be connected.

I got drawn into this story. Although it deals with very serious issues it provided welcome escapism from my own reality for a while. The writing pulls you in slowly, giving bits of one part of the story before moving on to the next, leaving hints that there might be connections between them but not making anything definite until it needs to be. I’m not raving about this book but that’s because I don’t feel it would fit. It was a brilliantly written, very sold police procedural that taught me a lot about drug dealing and introduced me to some characters that I very much would like to spend more time with in the future. This is an excellent start to what will be a cracking series and I can’t wait for more.

 

About the author:

 

Conrad Jones a 52-year-old Author, living in Holyhead, Anglesey, which I class as my home, before starting a career as a trainee manger with McDonalds Restaurants in 1989. I worked in management at McDonalds Restaurants Ltd from 1989-2002, working my way up to Business Consultant (area manager) working in the corporate and franchised departments.

In March 1993 I was managing the Restaurant in Warrington`s Bridge St when two Irish Republican Army bombs exploded directly outside the store, resulting in the death of two young boys and many casualties. Along with hundreds of other people there that day I was deeply affected by the attack, which led to a long-term interest in the motivation and mind set of criminal gangs. I began to read anything crime related that I could get my hands on.

I link this experience with the desire to write books on the subject, which came much later due to an unusual set of circumstances. Because of that experience my early novels follow the adventures of an elite counter terrorist unit, The Terrorist Task Force, and their leader, John Tankersley, or `Tank`and they are the Soft Target Series, which have been described by a reviewer as ‘Reacher on steroids’.

I had no intentions of writing until 2007, when I set off on an 11-week tour of the USA. The Day before I boarded the plane, Madeleine Mcann disappeared and all through the holiday I followed the American news reports which had little or no information about her. I didn’t realise it at the time, but the terrible kidnap would inspire my book, The Child Taker years later. During that trip, I received news that my house had been burgled and my work van and equipment were stolen. That summer was the year when York and Tewksbury were flooded by a deluge and insurance companies were swamped with claims. They informed me that they couldn’t do anything for weeks and that returning home would be a wasted journey. Rendered unemployed on a beach in Clearwater, Florida, I decided to begin my first book, Soft Target. I have never stopped writing since. I have recently completed my 20th novel, The Journey, something that never would have happened but for that burglary and my experiences in Warrington.

As far as my favourite series ever, it has to be James Herbert’s, The Rats trilogy. The first book did for me what school books couldn’t. It fascinated me, triggered my imagination and gave me the hunger to want to read more. I waited years for the second book, The Lair, and Domain, the third book to come out and they were amazing. Domain is one of the best books I have ever read. In later years, Lee Child, especially the early books, has kept me hypnotised on my sunbed on holiday as has Michael Connelley and his Harry Bosch Series.