Blacklist is the second book in the Beautiful Idols YA series about shallow fame seekers fighting to win a coveted job in Los Angeles. See my review of Unrivalled if you want to catch up quickly. Starting exactly where the first book left off Madison Brooks is still missing and the weight of evidence seems…
Book Review: The Shadow Land – Elizabeth Kostova ***
Apologies that there has only been one book review this week but The Shadow Land is a real beast of a book. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Elizabeth Kostova’s books. She writes the most incredible stories but I feel like I have lived this journey back and forth across Bulgaria and…
Book Review: Sleep Tight – Caroline Mitchell ****
Sleep Tight is the second outing for Detective Sergeant Ruby Preston. Ruby is a very unlikely copper having grown up with the East End gangs in London. Her liaison with well known gang boss Nathan Crosby is a very closely guarded secret. Ruby finds herself with a dilemma when a nutter starts targeting local prostitutes…
Book Review: Dancing in the Rain – Kelly Jamieson *****
A new standalone book from Kelly Jamieson but never fear there is still a hint of hockey about this one. Drew has hit rock bottom. At thirty he is a washed up ex-NHL player. Surgery on his knee has been unsuccessful and for the first time in over twenty years hockey isn’t at the centre…
Book Review: Missing – Kelley Armstrong ****
Known for her supernatural Otherworld and Cainsville series this is a different proposition from Kelley Armstrong. This standalone thriller is aimed at Young Adults but is enjoyable for adults too. Winter Crane lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Reeves End. Her sister Cam has already left town – like most of…
Book Review: The Cows – Dawn O’Porter *****
I don’t know why I haven’t picked up any of Dawn O’Porter’s earlier books because this one had me laughing out loud on a packed commuter train. The Cows is a take on modern life in London in this internet connected age. It runs the full gamut of emotions from suicidal despair to hope and…
Book Review: The Girlfriend – Michelle Frances ****
Laura has a seemingly perfect life. Running a successful television production company she has a wonderful house in Kensington, a long marriage to Howard and a gorgeous twenty three year old son. Daniel is just about to embark on his junior doctor training at a large London hospital so after years away at Cambridge he…
Book Review: Fire Damage – Kate Medina ****
Fire Damage is the first in a new series of books featuring army psychologist Jessie Flynn. Set around the Aldershot area the action takes place in both the barracks and the towns around there. Jessie is asked to assist with the son of a Major. His father was badly burnt in an ambush in Afghanistan…
Book Review: The Idea of You – Amanda Prowse ****
It always amazes me when I see that Amanda Prowse only self-published her first book in 2011. I’ve read so many of her books that it feels like she has been around forever! Sixteen books and six novellas later she is firmly ensconced in the UK market with her own unique take on modern life…
Book Review: Lie to Me – Jess Ryder ****
It has been a good year so far for discovering new authors and with “Lie to Me” it has been a pleasure to get an early review copy of Jess Ryder’s first book. Meredith is helping her father clear out the attic in preparation for his move to a retirement cottage in the country. At…
Book Review: Tattletale – Sarah J Naughton ***
It is hard to describe how I felt about this book. There were times when I was so frustrated with it that I almost gave up on it but there was always enough going on to make me keep reading, to persevere. Mags is a wealthy and successful lawyer in Las Vegas. Years ago she…
Book Review: Sometimes I Lie – Alice Feeney ****
Feeney is a writer and journalist who spent sixteen years working at the BBC. “Sometimes I Lie” might be her first thriller but you can tell from the quality of the writing that it’s not her first rodeo. The book opens with a startling declaration: “My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you…
