My Review for The Retreat by Karen King

Full of secrets, lies and deception, The Retreat by Karen King is a fast-paced psychological thriller. It won’t have you jumping out of your seat or hiding behind the sofa, but it does have enough umph to keep you reading, to find out who is behind all the weird things that are going on here.

Jose and Eva have opened their home as a wellbeing retreat, and the first guests have received a discount to discover anything that needs changing, to enable any tweaks to be ironed out before Jose and Eva open properly to paying guests.

I can’t say I warmed to any of the characters, apart from maybe Eva and Saskia. However, to me, this is the work of a good writer. I don’t think we were supposed to actually ‘like’ any of them! It definitely kept me guessing the whole way through the book, although I did have my suspicions at various points as to who was sabotaging things throughout their stay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Retreat by Karen King.

Book Description

The sunlight dances on the turquoise pool as I wait for our first guests. But my blood turns to ice when I recognise one of them as an old friend and a flood of guilt and fear comes rushing back. Is she here to ruin my life for a second time?

‘It’s been so long’, Saskia says as she hugs me. I plaster the smile back on my face, my hands shaking as I usher our guests into the traditional Spanish farmhouse we’ve spent years renovating to perfection. Saskia and I had been so close, until she betrayed me.

Now I’ve started a new life here in Spain. I met José and fell in love with his deep brown eyes, and together we opened our own retreat nestled high in the mountains. But José has no idea about the real me – I know he wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye if he ever found out that I have blood on my hands.

Then I discover our beautiful water fountain stained a deep red. My heart pounds with fear because it feels like a warning. And all my worst nightmares are confirmed when I find a note in my bedroom, revealing my terrible secret.

I was with Saskia all day, so I know it can’t be her. Which means that someone else at the retreat knows the truth about me – and they’re here for revenge.

But this perfect new life means everything to me. And I’ll do anything to protect it…

A totally unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and K.L. Slater.

About Karen

Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. She’s been published for over thirty years, in a variety of genres for both children and adults. She loves writing about the complexities of relationships. Her first three books for Bookouture were romances where relationships came right, she has now turned to the darker side of relationships, writing two psychological thrillers about relationships that go badly wrong. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.

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My Review for The Secret Photograph by Siobhan Curham

Harrowing, haunting, tragic and heart-breaking. These are just a handful of words that describe The Secret Photograph by Siobhan Curham. I loved it. I cannot describe fully how Siobhan’s books make me feel, but I always close the book and wonder about how such monsters could have existed in the twentieth century.

Although a work of fiction, this latest stunner from Siobhan is based on real-life events and told from two viewpoints across two timelines. One is from Clarisse in the 1940s and the other....well I’m not telling you who tells the other story because I didn’t realise (as I’m sure was the intention) until at least halfway through the book, but it is told from someone living in France in the mid-eighties.

The work of everyone in the Resistance amazes me. How so many people put their lives on the line, day after day, to bring knowledge to the world about the atrocities of war and to try to bring justice for their country is incredible. There were also so many roles to play, I would never have thought a photographer would have been so beneficial and just goes to show that guns weren’t necessarily the only weapons.

If you’re interested in learning so much more about the Second World War than your teachers ever taught you, then pick up a copy of Siobhan’s latest book and immerse yourself in wartime France.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Secret Photograph by Siobhan Curham.

About the Book

Nazi-occupied Paris, 1942. Clarisse clutches her camera as hundreds of police swarm the streets. Through her lens she spots a terrified brown-eyed little girl being carried screaming into a truck, her yellow star hanging crooked from her threadbare coat. Clarisse rushes forward to help, but the truck pulls away…

With a fake name written on the papers in her pocket, American photographer Clarisse Alarie knows the dangers of Paris better than most. Haunted by the sight of children being dragged away and carrying a photograph of the brown-eyed little girl everywhere she goes, Clarisse is desperate to make a difference. Meeting handsome resistance fighter Louis is her chance…

Louis introduces Clarisse to Café Capoulade and his underground network of brave men and women fighting tirelessly to end the occupation. Soon, Clarisse is risking her life every day. Taking photographs of the terror that has overcome the beautiful city, Clarisse follows members of the Gestapo and hides in plain sight in order to gather evidence of their terrible crimes.

But Clarisse soon learns of the over-crowded cattle cars leaving Paris carrying even the smallest children, bound for an unspeakably terrible place… Is she already too late to rescue the little girl with the brown eyes? And when Louis himself is arrested, will Clarisse risk everything the network has worked so hard for to save them both?

Set around true historical events that shook the world, The Secret Photograph is asweeping and utterly gripping wartime tale of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable terror. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and Soraya M. Lane will be totally hooked.

About Siobhan

Siobhan Curham is an award-winning author, ghost writer, editor and writing coach. She has also written for many newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Guardian, Breathe magazine, Cosmopolitan, Writers’ Forum, DatingAdvice.com, and Spirit & Destiny. Siobhan has been a guest on various radio and TV shows, including Woman’s Hour, BBC News, GMTV and BBC Breakfast. And she has spoken at businesses, schools, universities and literary festivals around the world, including the BBC, Hay Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Ilkley Festival, London Book Fair and Sharjah Reading Festival.

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My Review for A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal

This week I made another visit to the ‘Little Irish Village’ and this time it was Ava’s story to tell. Ava has been living in London with her twin sister Grace, but following an emergency back home, she has returned to Emerald Bay, just a few weeks before Christmas.

One thing I adore about Michelle’s Emerald Bay books is the Irish twang that I can hear when I’m reading. Whenever the Irish dialect comes into play, I honestly hear someone saying it in an Irish accent, which I adore. It must be one of the softest, loveliest accents on the planet!

Ava’s parents run the Shamrock Inn, in Emerald Bay and along with Ava and her four sisters, they make up the ultimate, cosy Irish family in a small village where everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business. Everything about this book is just lovely. The characters are wonderful; the setting is beautiful and the Irish camaraderie is second to none.

Take a trip to Emerald Bay this Christmas and buy yourself a copy of Michelle’s latest book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal.

About Michelle

'Michelle Vernal never fails to make me feel like I know the people she writes about.

'Just love her books.' 

'I'm sure if readers picked up just one of Michelle Vernal's books, I know they'd be hooked.'

Michelle Vernal started writing fiction after being inspired to join a creative writing class when her first son was born. She has since written over twenty-five books, including the Amazon top 100, Christmas in the Little Irish Village, along with the popular Guesthouse on the Green series and Liverpool Brides. 

Words readers use to describe Michelle's books are 'laugh out loud, 'feel good', 'heart- warming' and 'delightful'. 

Her favourite thing to eat is the humble cheese scone, and she enjoys doing the bendy yoga at the end of a day's writing. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her teenage sons, husband and two pampered tabby cats.

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My Review for No Reserve by Felix Francis

When I was a teenager, I devoured Dick Francis books like they were going out of fashion. As soon as a new one was published, I was there, at the library, getting my hands on it as soon as possible. Imagine, therefore, my delight when I discovered that his son, Felix Francis, was also writing books in a similar vein.

No Reserve is the first book written by Felix Francis that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Slow to begin with, as the scenes are set, it soon picks up pace and becomes an addictive crime thriller, set in the horse-racing world. 

Theo, our protagonist, is determined to discover just who is responsible for the crimes being committed, and he seemingly won’t stop at anything to bring about justice. 

All the characters are well-written and they establish themselves pretty quickly. Yes, there are some downright nasty pieces of work here, albeit making the story just that much better and I honestly didn’t work out who the villain was until the author told me!

If you loved Dick Francis, then I can guarantee you will love Felix Francis just as much. If you’ve never read either before and you like a fast-paced crime story, then why not give this a try? I, for one, will be at the starting gate for the author’s next novel.

Thank you to Zaffre Books for the opportunity to read and review a copy of No Reserve by Felix Francis.

About the Book

THE HIGHER THE STAKES, THE DEADLIER THE RISK . . .

Theo Jennings is a young auctioneer at the Thoroughbred sales ring in Newmarket. The October yearling sales are where the big money exchanges hands in frenzied millions of Guineas paid for horses that are as yet unnamed, untested, and have never taken a step on the track. It's the greatest gamble in all of horseracing, and one that can end in ruin.

Theo has just made the biggest sale of his life, when he overhears a secret conversation between the two bidders - can they really have colluded to fix the price of his big sale? When that same horse is found dead the next morning, he has no choice but to investigate, even against the wishes of his boss. But the more he uncovers, the less he can trust the people around him.

The higher the stakes, the greater the risk. And in the bloodstock game, the ultimate price can be murder . . .

About Felix

FELIX FRANCIS is Dick Francis’s younger son. Born in 1953, Felix studied Physics and Electronics at London University and then embarked upon a 17-year career teaching Advanced Level physics at three schools, the last seven as head of the science department at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire. After leaving teaching, Felix then became a businessman, spending 13 years as deputy chairman of World Challenge Expeditions Ltd, before starting his third career as an author.

As a child, Felix remembers that conversations around the Francis breakfast table were somewhat unconventional. “The production of a Dick Francis novel has always been a mixture of inspiration, perspiration and teamwork. The first one was published when I was nine, and I grew up in a house where talk would be about the damage a bullet might do to a man’s guts rather than the more mundane topics of everyday life”.

Over the next 40 years, Felix assisted Dick with both the research and the writing of many of his novels. They shared a love of racing and often worked together on plot and character details at Dick’s home in the Cayman Islands. This partnership allowed Dick to draw upon Felix’s knowledge and experience as a physics teacher and marksman in Twice Shy, and as an outdoorsman in Longshot.

With the publication of Under Orders in 2006, Felix took over the writing of the ‘Dick Francis’ novels from his father. This was followed by Dead Heat in 2007, Silks in 2008, and Even Money in 2009. Crossfire was the book Felix was working on when Dick died in February 2010, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another in the Dick Francis brand. Since then there have been another twelve ‘Dick Francis’ novels, with Felix’s latest, No Reserve, published in September 2023.

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My Review for Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft

I've literally just finished this book and I can't stop smiling, for lots of reasons, just one being that the lovely Donna Ashcroft has included me in the acknowledgements of her latest book. As a book blogger, it's the little things like this that make all the reading and reviewing worthwhile.

The entire book made me smile, it was Christmassy, and cuddly, and cosy and I loved it. I have to admit there were tears at the end, but I promise, they were happy tears.

Christmas Resort is a holiday village in the Scottish Highlands where it's Christmas all year round and where people visit to experience mince pies, hot chocolate, sparkling reindeer statues, crackling log fires and twinkly fairy lights everywhere. Many of the people who live, work and visit Christmas Resort find themselves on a journey of self-discovery and through a myriad of emotions usually leave in a better place than when they arrived....or just don't leave at all!

I'd thoroughly recommend that you buy yourself a copy of Donna's latest book or add it to your Wishlist for Christmas. It's such a lovely read, whatever the weather and will make you dream of Christmastime.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft.

Book Description

Welcome to Christmas Resort, the festive retreat where the scent of cinnamon is in the air and chocolate yule log is eaten all year round! But with the resort in trouble, can Holliday Harrison save Christmas and find true love along the way?

Thirty-year-old Holliday Harrison is throwing herself into the festive season to give her life some purpose after losing her fiancé three years ago. Working at Christmas Resort, an all-year-round holiday village, with its sparkling lights and community of quirky characters, is the warm environment she needs right now. But everything is about to change…

When handsome, blue-eyed businessman Damon MacAndrew arrives to stay in one of the cute log cabins, at first Holly is intrigued. Why has this serious stranger come to such a jolly place? But then he makes his plan clear: Damon wants to buy the resort and change everything about it.

Determined to put Damon off Christmas Resort, Holly is soon engineering cold showers and setting him up to get lost in the maze. But with freshly baked cookies and delicious hot chocolate available on tap in such a magical setting, it’s hard to find ways to make the resort seem unappealing… Holliday tries her hardest to fight for the resort but the romance of Christmas seems to have other ideas.

As they take sleigh rides together and spend long evenings in front of the log fire she can’t deny the sizzling attraction between them. But has Damon really fallen in love with the magic of Christmas, or is he still a cold-hearted businessman? And will this this turn out to be the best Christmas ever… or will it end in heartbreak?

This sparkling, festive read featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance is completely addictive and moreish! A gorgeous winter romance that will have you glued to the pages. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Trisha Ashley and Debbie Macomber will love this delicious Christmas romance.

Author Bio

Donna Ashcroft was born in London, England and grew up in Buckinghamshire. She went to university in Lancashire and, among other things, worked as a copywriter, buyer, waitress, secretary and marketing manager.

Donna was shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel of the Year in 2019. She lives in Hertfordshire, with her own romantic hero, two grown up kids (who aren't always home) and two very grumpy cats. She loves a happy ending and is never happier than when she's escaping into a romance novel or movie.

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My Review for The Christmas Promise by Lindsay Gibson

I don’t live in the US, and I’ve never visited New England, but now I want to go and visit the fictional town of Seabreeze and stay at Cove Hill Inn. I want to watch the snow falling, make gingerbread cookies and curl up in front of a roaring fire.

The Christmas Promise is my second Christmassy read. It’s beautiful and warm and cosy and romantic and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Charlotte’s family’s lives for just 24 hours, because that’s how long it took me to read it. Granted, I was in the car for 6 of those hours (I wasn’t driving) and I read for the whole time!

Charlotte is on a mission to discover the history behind a painting she’s recently purchased for the art gallery she works at and the answers will hopefully lie in the small coastal town on Seabreeze.

If you’re ready for a Christmas read then I’d thoroughly recommend that you get yourself a copy of this, make yourself a hot chocolate, pretend that it’s already snowing outside and lose yourself in this snuggly story.

Thank you to Harpeth Road Press for the opportunity to read and review a copy of The Christmas Promise by Lindsay Gibson.

Book Description

Art buyer Charlotte Moore is given the chance of a lifetime to be head buyer for the esteemed Wallace Gallery’s Christmas charity gala. But when she arrives at auction, after the most prominent pieces are all bought up, in a panic, she bids on the final painting—an unsigned sunset landscape she’s nearly sure her boss will despise.

To save her job, she finds herself in the beautifully festive New England coastal town of Seabreeze, the setting of the painting. When a nor’easter blows through, she’s stuck at the adorable Cove Hill Inn, all decorated for the holiday and brimming with Christmas magic. While it’s not an awful place to be snowed in, her ability to work is at a standstill, with the gala looming closer.

And she isn’t expecting to meet the innkeeper’s soon, ruggedly handsome Aiden Bennett, a distraction she definitely doesn’t need. Even the inn’s cherry scones and the town’s Christmas fair are no match for Aiden’s charm.

However, when she uncovers a family secret that could impact everyone, including herself and Aiden, it might shake up more than just the holiday. Under the shimmer of the town twinkle lights and the snow-covered Christmas trees, will Charlotte find the answers she’s looking for? Or has she unearthed something else entirely?

A heartwarming, holiday love story that will have you on the edge of your seat, reaching for the gingerbread cookies and hot cocoa.

Author Bio

Lindsay’s first book, her memoir, Just Be: How my Stillborn Son Taught Me to Surrender, won the Book Excellence finalist award in 2018. She has been featured in Elephant Journal, Green Child Magazine, and Self Magazine.

Lindsay now writes emotional romantic fiction, full of heartfelt love, good friends, and family, sprinkled with humor and tender warmth, where her characters discover that love is the reason for everything. Her debut romantic fiction novel The Christmas Promise with Harpeth Road Press set in a charming New England town at the holidays is now available.

When not writing fiction, she is working on her exclusive weekly newsletter Love is the Reason about all things love, food and healthy living. She spends the rest of her days chasing her three daughters around their hometown in Connecticut and hanging out with her Irish husband whose brogue still makes her blush.

Lindsay is available for book talks, speaking engagements and interviews both online and in person

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My Review for Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors by Elias Pell read by Jay Forrester

I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Listening Copy of Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors from the author, and I was really honoured to be one of the first to listen.

We are told the story from the point of view of a man called Zoofall, who has shut himself into his room to tell us the tale. Steggie is the boss in the dreamworld and Zoofall is the new recruit. This book is full of fantasy, myth and magic and goes far, far beyond the world of even lucid dreaming. 

I simply loved how Zoofall came to realise that he was different and that he could travel throughout the dreamworld on quests and adventures. Even when you’re dreaming, the world is full of bad people as well as good ones and yes, there is a fair share of enemies for the band of warriors to contend with whilst they’re asleep!

Elias Pell has such a fantastic imagination, writing the story as he does, it’s full of amazing imagery and to me, the sign of a great author is one who can make you believe that what you are reading is true, even in fantasy. When I closed my eyes at night, I went looking for Steggie Belle, Wolf and Zoofall, but alas, I didn’t find them!

If you enjoy fantasy, world-building and a brilliant story, then grab a copy of Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors. The audiobook is awesome, and Jay Forrester’s voice will draw you into Steggie’s world as he talks in your ears! Kindle and paperback versions are also available.

Thank you to Elias Pell for the opportunity to listen to and review Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors. I really hope he has more than one sequel up his sleeve.

Book Description

“What if our understanding of dreams is just a poor reflection of another place… 

a real place?”

During a storm, a man who calls himself Zoofall has barricaded himself inside an attic. He has only seven candles worth of time to reveal his extraordinary secrets. How, when he was a child, he discovered the existence of a wild other world, where Reality and Mythology meet, beyond the limits of Lucid Dreaming.

As a boy, after a freak accident results in him making a peculiar acquaintance, a lengthy initiation follows, and Zoofall finally finds himself welcomed into a group of other young dreamers—who call themselves the Freedivers. They teach him hidden truths and the long-forgotten, true history of humankind. Of how the dream and waking worlds, although now separated, were once united as one, until the “cross-overs” began. They show him that the stuff of ancient myths and fairy tales, of folklore and urban legends have never been imaginary at all. These beings had simply migrated for their own safety, away from the waking world, and that these “crossings” are by no means one-way.

Within this magical and terrifyingly real realm, Zoofall must figure out if his own unusual powers make him a possible saviour or a dangerous burden. As dark forces rise up, threatening to engulf their group, he must uncover the greatest mystery of all. Who their incredible leader—Steggie Belle—really is, how she became so powerful, and if by any chance she can be saved?

About the Author

Elias Pell is a London-born, previously published poet and self-confessed dreamer. Disguised as an adult (children have somehow always been able to see through this facade) Elias left England in 2016, putting all his savings towards the dream of writing full-time. Since then, he has sat, scribbling away on a rooftop in Barcelona, spurred on by the raucous cries of seagulls circling overhead. 

Steggie Belle & the Dream Warriors is Elias’s debut Fantasy novel: a story inspired by his own lifelong Lucid Dreaming experiences. In 2020, it was awarded as a Finalist in the Fantasy category of NIEA’s global annual competition (the only self-published novel to reach that shortlist). 

Elias has also published a collection of short stories for adults, entitled Scapegoats & Crowbars, and is currently working on the sequel to Steggie Belle, alongside other new writing projects. He is currently seeking representation, and can be contacted directly at elias.pell75@gmail.com. 

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