My Review for Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman read by Scott Brick

.... when the lives of the people you love are at stake, rules are made to be broken.

Have I really not read a Brian Freeman book before? 🙈 Of course I've seen the Jason Bourne movies, and perhaps I did read these before I got back into reading - I can't remember though. Anyway, I loved this, from beginning to end. It was fast-paced, exciting, and there were so many twists and turns, I met myself coming backwards, more than once! Honestly, I was exhausted by the time I took my AirPods out for the final time!

At the start I thought Tommy was a bad man, but he really isn't, he loves his wife and daughter more than anything in the world and if he has to kill to avenge their kidnapping, then that's exactly what he'll do. Along the way, he has unexpected assistance from professionals and amateurs alike, all of who are looking for the same outcome. 

Scott Brick did a sterling job as the narrator, throwing me into every single scene as though I really was there too, fighting off the bad guys and chilling in the bars. 

I would one hundred per cent recommend this book to anyone who loved a hectic thriller where you don't get a moment to stop and think!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman.

About the Book

Tommy Miller is a man with deadly skills, hiding in Florida under a false identity. After being set up on an overseas mission, he’s on the run from terrorists—and from the government who betrayed him. So when his wife and daughter are violently abducted, it seems his ghosts are finally catching up with him.

But Tommy isn’t the only one with secrets. His wife, Teresa, has been concealing her own dangerous past, and as Tommy races to rescue his family, he must peel away the clues she’s left behind. With a hotshot police detective, Lindy Jax, close on his trail, Tommy follows a twisted path from Florida to the Bahamas, one that brings him face to face with ruthless enemies.

His search for answers soon puts him on the wrong side of the law—hunted by the police and pursued by men who want him dead. Worst of all, if he hopes to save Teresa and their daughter, Rosalita, he must become the man he once was—a killer operating from the deepest shadows.

But when the lives of the people you love are at stake, rules are made to be broken.

About Brian

Brian Freeman is the bestselling author of thirty novels that have been sold around the world and translated into 23 languages. His novel SPILLED BLOOD won the award for Best Hardcover Novel in the annual Thriller Awards, and his novel THE BURYING PLACE was a finalist for the same award. His novel THE DEEP, DEEP SNOW was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and his debut IMMORAL was an Edgar finalist for Best First Novel. In 2019, he was selected by Putnam and the Robert Ludlum estate as the official author to continue Ludlum’s famous Jason Bourne franchise.

“My goal is to write books with haunting characters and a lightning-fast pace,” Brian says. “My stories are about the hidden intimate motives that draw people across some dark lines. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages, and each piece in the puzzle gives you new insight into the heroes, victims, and villains.”

“I don’t like books where the characters are all good or all bad,” he adds. “I want them to live in the real world, where morality means tough choices and a lot of shades of gray. I hope that’s why readers relate so intensely to the people in my books.”

He is particularly known for the “you are there” sense of place in his novels, from dead-of-winter Minnesota to the tropical storms of Florida. He scouts real-life locales for all of his books and brings to life dramatic settings such as Duluth, San Francisco, Tampa, Las Vegas, and Door County, Wisconsin. “Nobody writes weather like Brian Freeman,” says one reviewer.

Brian lives in Florida with his wife, Marcia, who is his partner in life and in the book business. They both stay closely connected to Brian’s readers.

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My Review for Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson, read by Samantha Summers and Flint Park

Just when you were expecting a sweet romance......

...and once again I dive headlong in without reading the synopsis, 🤣 but hey, it all adds to the excitement and uncertainty of a book right! There I was, pootling around the garden, pulling up weeds, thinking I was listening to a cute little romance, coming from the shores of Loch Ness. The narrators were dragging me in (especially Flint with his Scottish accent) and I was all set for love and romance, and maybe a little bit of resistance from one of the main characters. What I wasn't expecting was the steaminess between Key and Lachlan. But that was fine, I don't mind spice in a book at all, as long as it's done well and this one was. What I REALLY wasn't expecting was the paranormal aspect! 🦕 That's all I'm going to say, I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who doesn't read the book description or reviews. 😝 

Apart from the surprise of what I realised I was reading, I loved the story. Nothing was out of my comfort zone, I read spice and paranormal, fantasy and romance - sometimes all together. I judge a book by its cover and that cover does not say 'monsters'! 

Lana - your book was so, so good and I will definitely be having a look at your backlist. Thank you for creating Key and Lachlan, I adored them both and Samantha and Flint brought them to life.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson.

About the Book

Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. It’s even more troublesome when he gets a front row seat to the lukewarm welcome Key receives from her family; the strange powers she begins to develop; and the fierce determination she brings to every obstacle in her path. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitely doesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his. Up against time, mystery, and a centuries old curse, they’ll quickly discover that magic might not only be in fairy tales, and that love can be a real loch-mess.

About Lana

Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. When she isn’t writing—you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of Lord of the Rings. Lana lives mostly in her own head, but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors.

Lana hopes to give the world all sorts of sexy stories between two dummies sharing a single brain cell—but until then: practice safe text, use commas.

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My Review for Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, read by Helena Bonham Carter

 Eye-opening, heartbreaking and insightful.

Thanks to #classiclitbookclub I am revisiting many of the books I read as a child or in my teenage years and The Diary of a Young Girl is one of them. I'm unsure whether I read it at school or on my own but I was fascinated and heartbroken, then and now. Fascinated that such a young girl - Anne was just thirteen when he family went into hiding in the 'annexe' - wrote her diaries in such an adult and eloquent way, and despite the hardships surrounding her, she wrote with wit and humour, often making the best of an absolutely horrendous situation. She had a sarcasm about her that made me giggle as I was listening to the amazing narration of Helena Bonham Carter, who brought Anne's personality to life as she retold Anne's writings. 

Of course we all know the ending, which was devastatingly heartbreaking, as Anne was eventually captured and sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where, at just fifteen years of age, she met her death. Knowing the outcome, made the diaries, all the more difficult to listen to, because Anne had so many dreams about what she wanted to do when the war ended, and for me, personally, knowing that wasn't going to happen was excruciatingly difficult.

The version I listened to had the original censored parts reinstated which I understand happened after Otto Frank passed away. In the original publication her father omitted the sexuality references as well as the parts where Anne was particularly rude about some of those she was in hiding with.

If you haven't read Anne Frank's diary and you have the slightest interest in WWII, then I would urge you to pick this up. It's eye-opening, heartbreaking and insightful and should be on the school curriculum for everyone.

About the Book

In Amsterdam, in the summer of 1942, the Nazis forced teenager Anne Frank and her family into hiding. For over two years, they, another family and a German dentist lived in a 'secret annexe', fearing discovery. All that time, Anne kept a diary.

An intimate record of tension and struggle, adolescence and confinement, anger and heartbreak, Anne Frank's diary is one of those unique documents, famed throughout the world.It portrays innocence and humanity, suffering and survival in the starkest and most moving terms.

About Anne

Anne Frank was born in the German city of Frankfurt am Main in 1929. Anne’s sister Margot was three years her senior. Unemployment was high and poverty was severe in Germany, and it was the period in which Adolf Hitler and his party were gaining more and more supporters. Hitler hated the Jews and blamed them for the problems in the country. He took advantage of the rampant antisemitic sentiments in Germany. The hatred of Jews and the poor economic situation made Anne's parents, Otto and Edith Frank, decide to move to Amsterdam. There, Otto founded a company that traded in pectin, a gelling agent for making jam.

Before long, Anne felt right at home in the Netherlands. She learned the language, made new friends and went to a Dutch school near her home. Her father worked hard to get his business off the ground, but it was not easy. Otto also tried to set up a company in England, but the plan fell through. Things looked up when he started selling herbs and spices in addition to the pectin.

On 1 September 1939, when Anne was 10 years old, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, and so the Second World War began. Not long after, on 10 May 1940, the Nazis also invaded the Netherlands. Five days later, the Dutch army surrendered. Slowly but surely, the Nazis introduced more and more laws and regulations that made the lives of Jews more difficult. For instance, Jews could no longer visit parks, cinemas, or non-Jewish shops. The rules meant that more and more places became off-limits to Anne. Her father lost his company, since Jews were no longer allowed to run their own businesses. All Jewish children, including Anne, had to go to separate Jewish schools.

The rest of Anne's story is told in her book, 'The Diary of a Young Girl'.

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My Review for All the Lost Pieces by Lara Martin

'All the pieces of herself she'd lost along the way, well, it was time to start recapturing them'.

First, my sincere apologies to the author who kindly gifted me a copy of her book back in 2023, and I'm ashamed to say it's taken me two years to read it. Over commitment is my only excuse, but I am trying to do better this year!

I adored everything about this book. I loved all the characters, although Tammy was the one exception, she was a real piece of work! Each of them bring their own unique charm to the story and I especially fell in love with Ano - the things that man can do with food - if only this book had the ability to send cooking fragrances through the pages!

I lived alongside Nina as she navigated her way through finding the right job for her, attempting to win people round, but also being mindful not to tread on any toes as she finds pleasure and happiness in her personal life as well as her career. It's rare that I shed a tear when I'm reading, but I have to admit that there were a couple of times towards the end of this one that I had to stifle a sniffle!

I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this, and I will definitely be working my way through Lara's other books very soon.

Thank you to Lara Martin for the opportunity to read and review All the Lost Pieces.

About the Book

Twenty-nine-year-old Nina Abrahams is not in a good place. She’s been fired from her restaurant manager job after she stands up to her bully of a boss, her motivational speaker mother is helping other people get their lives on track and ignoring the derailing of her daughter’s, and her best friend, Lucas Wilson, the guy she’s loved since she was eighteen, can’t seem to look beyond the girl in braces to the woman she is now.

When a new opportunity comes up, Nina decides it’s the perfect time to start over. The restaurant needs a reinvention and so does she. Unfortunately for Nina, the restaurant comes with hostile servers, a belligerent chef, and an owner averse to change.

But if Nina’s brave enough to take on the restaurant and tackle the people out to sabotage her, perhaps she can find the courage to tell Lucas how she really feels, even if it means risking the most important relationship in her life.

About Lara - by Lara

I was born in South Africa, lived for twelve years in Melbourne, Australia and now call a cozy village in England my home.

I have tried a variety of amazing and awful jobs: video game reviewer, graphic designer, insurance claims agent, proofreader, feature writer and magazine editor.

But all of those jobs have been about putting food on the table and collecting stories that worm their way into my books. Writing fiction has always been – and no doubt always will be – my first occupational love.

Writing love stories started with my first kiss. I was number four in a long line of 14-year-old girls queuing in the hot sun outside a shed to kiss the tallest and cutest boy in our after-school centre. When it was my turn, I entered the gloomy, musty-smelling shed to glimpse a tower of car tyres next to a dark silhouette.

My first crush. Waiting for me. 

Nerves tingling, heart galloping, I climbed the tower, hooked my arm in one of the tyres and leaned over to where I calculated his cheek would be. I found his cheek, but lost my balance, toppling into him, his startled shout echoing in my ear as my braces gouged a groove in his cheek.

In the humiliating aftermath, I came away with a resolve that yes, my characters will go through turmoil, they’ll each have their Horror Shed Moments, times when I’ll push them further than they want to go, but they will ALWAYS get their happy ending.

My happy ending came at the age of twenty-four when I met Craig. After a classic best-friends-becoming-something-more love story, we got married. Happily, I can tell you that after you’re married the two are no longer mutually exclusive – your husband can be your best friend and the love of your life.

When I’m not working on my next novel, my two children keep me busy with life questions I can’t always answer and math problems that make me wish I’d concentrated more in school.

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My Review for This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter, read by Kathleen Early

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

I may be a bit of a dunce, but I had no idea what a locked-room mystery was - but now I've worked it out! Duh - pretty self-explanatory, really! Anyway, this is one, and I loved it, it was such a great listen, and because we are kept in the dark about so many things, it was really difficult to try to work out who the killer was. Throughout, I was guessing, and with each chapter I was wrong and had to try to think again!

I enjoyed the constant back-and-forth from the present time, to specific times before the murder, it made it much more exciting and definitely helps clarify events, so the reader can decide who is and isn't in the frame!

Each and every one of the characters brought an element of 'screwed up' to the story and yep, many of them had a reason to be the killer! Kathleen Early as the narrator brought that element of mystery and suspense to the story, which always makes a book stand out for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter.

About the Book

One toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?

Welcome to the luxury McAlpine Lodge…

Nestled in the misty mountains, it’s the perfect getaway. Until a woman’s body is found.

Everyone is a suspect.

The cruel father.

The toxic mother.

The bitter family.

The silent staff.

The suspicious guests.

Each of them is guilty of something. But only one is a killer. You’ll never guess who…

About Karin

Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers.

She is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated Cop Town and standalone novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. Pieces of Her is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette, and WILL TRENT, based on her Will Trent series, is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally). False Witness and The Good Daughter are in development for television. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

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My Review for Bazaar Girls by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin, read by Teddy Hamilton and Stella Hunter

Neurodivergent girl meets messed up bad boy - what can go wrong?!

This is number three in the Townsend Harbor series, I didn't know this, before I started listening, but it really didn't make any difference. Although it took me a long minute and a few chapters to get to grips with who was who and what was what, I must admit I did end up enjoying it. Of course, I was rooting for Gemma and Gabe. Neurodivergent girl meets messed up bad boy - what can go wrong?!

I enjoyed the narrators of this one (of course I did, one of them was Teddy Hamilton)! It was a quick and easy listen once I got into it and held Stars Hollow vibes -if you know, you know! I need to find the other books in the series as audiobooks, and then I can immerse myself further into Townsend Harbor as I'm pootling around the garden on these (fingers crossed) glorious summer days to come.

Thank you to Tantor Media and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review Bazaar Girls by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St. Aubin.

About the Book

Gemini “Gemma” McKendrick knows just about everything about everybody in Townsend Harbor. When she’s not serving on one of the many civic positions or leaping headlong into another hobby, she’s hosting the Sunday Stitch ‘N Bitch at her yarn and craft shop, Bazaar Girls. But all her schmoozing isn’t converting to sales, and with her quirky boutique in big trouble, she makes a snap decision to rent out the basement of her cozy craftsman to Townsend Harbor newcomer Gabe Kelly. A man with a past as colorful as his tattoo sleeves, who has become an urban legend since he blew into town. And who better than Gemma, Townsend Harbor’s own gossip guru, to answer the rumor mill's most pressing questions? Like whether the silver-tongued mechanic is as good with his hands as he is with a socket wrench.

Gabriel “Gabe” Kelly wasn’t born into a family so much as a criminal enterprise. Taught to lift, chop, and rebuild cars since before he could tie his own shoes, he’s obliged to pay his debt to society before deserting Boston for Townsend Harbor, Washington.. A place he could stay out of trouble. He immediately lands about the only job an ex-con with prison muscles and neck tattoos could easily find in a town like this–a mechanic for a high-end vintage car shop. Moonlighting as the only tow truck in a thirty-mile radius, he rescues the absent-minded hottie who runs the local yarn shop. But he quickly discovers that a toy-sized car with a dashboard lit up by Christmas isn’t the only thing in Gemma McKendrick’s life desperately in need of maintenance. Gabe, who is uniquely qualified to diagnose and fix complicated mechanisms, finds his sexy landlord is impossible to figure out. Looks like he’ll have to take a peek at her undercarriage to find out what makes her purr before he hits the road again.

Because women of her caliber don’t take home guys with his make and model…

About Kerrigan 

Kerrigan Byrne is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of several novels in both the romance and mystery genre.

She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington with her wonderful husband, two Rottweiler mixes and a very cuddly cat. When she's not writing and researching, you'll find her kayaking, on the beach, eating, drinking, shopping, and attending live comedy, ballet, or too many movies.

About Cynthia, by Cynthia

Well hello there!

I like gravy. 

This has nothing to do with the rest of my bio, but I thought you ought to know. 

About the writing thing...

​I wrote my first play when I was eight and made my brothers perform it for my parents. I charged gum wrappers for admission (a steal, considering I had handed out the gum wrappers in advance). 

I never quite gave up on the writing thing, even as I earned a Master's degree in art history and spent a decade in the corporate cube. Because the voices in my head kept talking to me, and they discourage drinking at work, i started putting them in books instead. when I'm not standing in front of the fridge eating cheese, you can find me dreaming about what imaginary friends to play with next. 

​​I live in Texas with a handsome musician and two surly cats.

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My Review for Work Trip by Chloe Ford, read by Grace Calder

Laugh-out-loud hilarious!

This was such a fun book to listen to and I finished it within 24 hours. Who doesn't want to be stuck in the Highlands of Scotland with a work colleague that they absolutely cannot stand, with only tents and the random contents of backpacks to survive on??

First off, I cannot imagine anything worse than a team-building exercise away from the office. In the office is bad enough, but overnight, with people you barely tolerate - absolutely no way, thank you very much! But Fliss and James have no choice, they have been abandoned by their boss in the middle of nowhere and need to find their way back to civilisation. There are injuries, awful weather, and arguments, but there is also laughter, camaraderie, and yes, eventually teamwork, and of course maybe there is a smidgen of romance thrown in for good measure. 

Grace Calder narrates Work Trip, and she does an amazing job of nailing the atmosphere, arguments, and romance of what will inevitably be love in the Highlands.

Thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus Audiobooks and Aria for the opportunity to listen to and review Work Trip by Chloe Ford.

About the Book

For Fliss, the prospect of a team building work trip fills her with dread. Mostly because she cannot stand her pushy colleague James, who often attempts to derail her brilliant plans. But when the two arrive in the Scottish Highlands, they find themselves facing a unique challenge: their boss has abandoned them in the middle of nowhere with only one tent, two sleeping bags and a few protein bars.

Cut off from the outside world, the pair are forced to put aside their differences to weather the unpredictable elements of the Highlands and get home. As they set out on a journey across miles of rugged wilderness - pushing each other to survive and testing their physical and emotional limits - they remain fully aware of their boss’s manipulative plan to orchestrate a hook up between them.

But even with only each other for company, Fliss and James stand firm in their resolve: they won't give in to any romantic notions. Or will they?

About Chloe, by Chloe

I'm Chloe Ford. I write British set romantic comedies. I grew up in rural Sussex but am now based in Gloucestershire. I have an affinity with all things country, from riding horses to muddy walks. My love for writing began at secondary school when my English teacher would set a writing task for the whole hour. As an avid reader, I started sneaking Mills & Boon books out from under my mum’s bed as a teenager and haven't stopped devouring romance books ever since. 

Some of my all time favourite authors (who I will always recommend) include Lisa Kleypas, Emily Henry and Beth O'Leary. While I do love romance, as a reader, I will also venture into thrillers, historical fiction and huge literary masterpieces such as Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead.

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