Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

February 3, 2020

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

death deserved by thomas engerjorn lier horst - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Death Deserved by Thomas EngerJorn Lier Horst
Published by Orenda Books Limited on January 31, 2020
ISBN: 9781913193010
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Romance, Mystery & Detective, Hard-Boiled, Action & Adventure, Noir, City Life, Crime, International Mystery & Crime, Police & Law Enforcement, Women Sleuths, Political, Police Procedural, General
Pages: 276
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Police officer Alexander Blix and celebrity blogger Emma Ramm join forces to track down a serial killer with a thirst for attention and high-profile murders, in the first episode of a gripping new Nordic Noir series...
Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV.
Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing-persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated ... evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing...
Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flare for the dramatic, and thirst for attention.Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it...

Some publishers are just complete go-to. Crime fiction and Nordic Noir are phrases that are somonis with Orenda Books. This blog tour invitation for Death Deserved was an automatic YES YES YES. Nordic Noir is a relatively new genre for me, but I am quickly falling head over heels. It has restarted my heart and gave me a passion for crime fiction once more. I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this exciting and riveting read.

I was expecting huge things from this superstar double act. The anticipation was melting my brain. The prologue created that taut tension that I crave and live for. My eyes couldn’t stop the uncontrollable speed that they took in the lines of the book. The words took on a life of its own. They grew legs and marched straight up to my face and smacked me silly…it had my full attention.

Deserved Death was an interesting title choice but one that seeped in a rightness as soon as the final page was put to rest. Is any untimely death deserved? What events in a person’s life would make it a given that they deserve to die. I’m sure at some point in our lives we have done something that was immoral or bad, does it necessarily mean that our deaths would be deserved? The authors captured everything that I anticipate in Nordic Noir. They led you down a deserted road, one that had the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention, military style. The possibilities were endless, and my stomach churned like it was on the super spin cycle. Nausea and crime is my favourite combination.

This book sets the tone. The dark and dangerous tone. Just sit and imagine taking in the words and the ominous theme tune to the exorcist playing in the background. You know it isn’t going to be like visiting your sweet aunt for the afternoon. It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride over the Grand Canyon except that half of the track is missing. Heart in mouth. Senses threatening to leave your body. It truly challenges the control you have over your own emotions.

Two narrators. Two broken characters. Connections intertwined. We meet Alexander Blix, a quiet police officer who has gone through the emotional wringer both professionally and personally. He acts from the heart frequently and is more an action man than a procedure man. It causes him difficulties in his job, but he is respected and admired by his close- nit team. He instantly spoke to me on a deep level. He is relatable and is living a life in the shadows not fully grasping it by the balls. A victim of his past. He threatens to become a victim of his future too.

We also meet Emma Ramm, celebrity blogger. She also has her own skeletons in the cupboard. She can appear cold but progressively you uncover the real her, layer by complex layer. At times she seemed like a rubix cube. Frustrating and complex to fathom out.

Set in Oslo, ex-former long-distance runner, Sonja Nordstrøm has recently released her scathing autobiography. Emma Ramm discovers her lack of contact for a TV interview and visits her home. There appears to have been a struggle. There is, however, no sign of her. The police launch an official investigation. An intriguing Number One has been attached to the TV. The scene is unsettling, and you can feel a lingering shadow threatening to creep beyond the edges.

There is a bigger picture emerging. The police investigation is stretched taut to its very limits. Blix is still haunted by the tragedy that saw him kill a 5-year-old girl’s father. Guns still make him nervous, but his persona belies the man he portrays to the world. The cracks threaten to split. Can he keep it together until the end of the investigation?

The main theme running through this book is the human condition and it’s need and pure want of fame and the culture of celebrity. What drives people to want these things with such a hunger? We know from history that money doesn’t make you happy. More often than not it attracts ill mental health like a calling card. In this story the burden of celebrity attracts the dark. It has created a festering wound seeping in dysfunctionality and pain. It certainly made me think about the important things in life. I am quite happy being a nobody.

Death Deserved is a tautly woven, intricately written tale of suspense and layer upon layers visceral action. The authors nail the exact art of Nordic Noir and make you hunger for more.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jorn Lier Horst Author pic - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Thomas Author Pic 1024x687 - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Death Deserved is Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller.

Orenda Books

Blog Tour: Cupidity by Lucinda Lamont – EXTRACT

January 22, 2020

Cupidity by Lucinda Lamont
Published by Independently Published on May 18, 2019
ISBN: 9781099201004
Genres: Romance
Pages: 256
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Britain, World War Two. After newly widowed Martha is invited to live with her wealthy confidante, Mae, she finds herself attracted to her husband.
Meanwhile, an escaped convict is targeting women close to Martha's new home. After several women are murdered, they realize the danger is closer than they could have ever thought.
As Martha's passion threatens to unravel her friendships, paths cross with devastating consequences.

Welcome to my stop for the blog tour, Cupidity by Lucinda Lamont. Thanks to Emma @ Damppebbles for spot on the tour.

Those memories, for Martha, were to be just that. On April 22nd, 1943 life changed. It was one of those life events whereby people say you will never forget it, but it hadn’t been that way for her, she was already beginning to forget. It was one big blur, and that blur lasted for months.

On April 22nd, she had been playing with Willy. She had not long bathed him. He was on his baby towel on the living room floor, and she was drying him off. Although he did bear a slight resemblance to Martha, he was his father’s son, and she loved that. For every day that she missed John, she could look at Willy and know that he was with her. His eyes, although only baby eyes, would bore through her and reach right into her heart and soul. Mostly that soothed her, but sometimes the darkness of his pupils staring into her used to make her nervous and unsettled and wishing that John could be there immediately. She wondered if the baby was an indicator of John’s safety, and that’s why she would have those feelings sometimes. Maybe she could pick up a sixth sense from Willy when John was in danger; after all, he was made by both, he shared both of their genes. She would never know.

When she did see John, he would tell her nothing. He would say that everything was fine and that she shouldn’t worry so much. He was a man, a typical man, but also a gentleman and very loving. She hoped Willy would be just like him. How could he not? A beautiful baby boy. She leaned down and tickled him, and he began to laugh and coo. She then blew a big raspberry on his belly, and he laughed and giggled in sheer delight. His skin so soft and delicate – scrumptious. They played this game for a good few minutes. His laugh was so infectious, how could she stop?

There was a knock at the door. She called out that she would be just a minute. She wrapped little Willy up in his soft baby towel and stroked his face with her index finger.

‘Now you wait there like a good boy, Willy. Mummy will be just a second.’

She got up and wandered just out of sight to the door. The door was a solid wooden one with no window. She patted down her skirt, checked her hair, and, with what would become slow motion in memory, turned the golden latch on the door. The gloomy, poorly lit hallway came to life with beams of the outside world flooding it with colour. On the opposite side of the door to Martha was a boy of about fourteen. He had a plain envelope with a cross on it. Of that moment, that was all Martha could remember.

The boy had delivered a telegram. Martha had known what it was as soon as she saw the envelope. She had heard it before from people she knew quite well and others she barely knew. The news was always delivered by a teenage boy and the envelope would be plain with a cross on it. It was the fastest way of delivering the message. When she opened the door, she didn’t even see his face. She saw the envelope instantly and passed out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucinda Lamont - Blog Tour: Cupidity by Lucinda Lamont - EXTRACT

Lucinda is 31 years old in lives in Hampshire. Born in Aberdeenshire, she spent the early years of her life in a small fishing town before relocating with her mother to the South Coast.

She is the middle child and only girl with four brothers.

Lucinda began her higher education in studying Performing Arts and then began a degree in Law (but dropped out). She is a qualified hairdresser but the arts always drew her back in and she took up an interest in writing which she now plans to continue to make a career out of.

Mother of one, a baby boy, she works part time for a Business publication and spends her spare time soaking up the Hampshire countryside and plotting her next stories.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucindalamont7

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucindaLamontAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucinda_lamont_author/

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

January 7, 2020

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

a dark matter by doug johnstone - A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone
Published by Orenda Books Limited on November 23 2019
ISBN: 9781912374991
Genres: Fiction, City Life, Mystery & Detective, Private Investigators, Cozy, General, Noir, Women Sleuths, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Psychological, Thrillers, Crime, Domestic, Women, Urban, Humorous, Black Humor, Family Life, Literary, Amateur Sleuth, Suspense
Pages: 300
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five stars - A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

five stars - A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

Three generations of women from the Skelfs family take over the family funeral home and PI businesses in the first book of a taut, page-turning and darkly funny new series.
‘I was addicted from the first page; gripping, gritty and darkly funny as hell’ Erin Kelly
‘A Dark Matter showcases a writer at the peak of his powers, except that with every book, Doug Johnstone just gets better’ Val McDermid
'Emotionally complex, richly layered and darkly funny. An addictive blend of Case Histories and Six Feet Under’ Chris Brookmyre
_________________
Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators...
When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.
Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.
As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything...
A compelling, tense and shocking thriller and a darkly funny and warm portrait of a family in turmoil, A Dark Matter introduces a cast of unforgettable characters, marking the start of an addictive new series.
_________________
‘A fiendish mystery that is also deeply moving and laced with suitably dark humour ... set to be one of the books of the year’ Mark Billingham
‘This dark but touching thriller makes for a thoroughly enjoyable slice of Edinburgh noir’ Mary Paulson-Ellis
‘A tense ride ... strong, believable characters’ Kerry Hudson, Big Issue
‘Dark, engrossing, impossible to put down. By turns a crime thriller, a family saga, and a page-turner, this book has everything!’ Luca Veste
'That rare book with heart and smarts to lift it above your average crime novel’ Stuart Neville
‘I can never get enough of Doug Johnstone’s thoughtful, observant, soul-lifting writing’ Louise Beech
‘Piercing, wonderfully real and so very readable ... a breath of fresh air’ LoveReading
‘This is confident, assured characterisation that carries the story brilliantly well and keeps the reader utterly immersed in the interwoven story strands’ Live & Deadly
‘A Dark Matter is further proof that Doug Johnstone is as versatile a writer as they come ... there’s rhythm and music in his words’ From Belgium with Booklove
‘A thriller that begs to be read in one sitting. Highly recommend’ The Book Review Café
‘Deliciously chilling, with a wry humour running throughout ... toxic, unsettling and just perfect’ Random Things through My Letterbox

The dark sense of Scottish humour has never been utilised to its full potential. Until now. A Dark Matter is a multi-layered double entendre that is pushing itself to the surface. It capitulates the dreich weather, the wounds that get hidden by alcohol but it’s all held up by the innate will of three immensely strong female characters. They are determined. They are strong and above all…no-one should try to fuck them over! Orenda Books is my go-to publisher for crime fiction and when you find an author that drips in his skill for getting the average scots character down, you know you’re onto a winner.

We have a trio of incredibly strong women. At the top of the matriarchy is, Dorothy. A spunky 70-year-old Californian. She should be commended on her ease for settling in Scotland so well. It really can’t be easy coming from those sun kissed beaches and being faced with dreich and dour weather. She married the love of her life and they were there for each right until the end. Dorothy is a widower, a mother, a grandmother and nothing stands in her way. She put everything into her life with Jim. Their funeral director business, their marriage but did Jim feel the same way? What changed?

Jenny, Dorothy and Jim’s daughter. I loved her. She’s fallen on hard times. She’s been made redundant, she is struggling with the payments on her flat, she seems to have lost her direction in life. Her daughter is grown up, flourishing at university but Jenny seems to be going from situation to situation. Craig her ex treated her appallingly, cheated on her and left her to pick up the pieces. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly but her moral compass is still intact, despite the circumstances. She is now living back with her mum after her father’s passing and is aiding in the funeral directors and the private investigation business. Can she finally find what’s missing and move forward?

Hannah, Jenny’s daughter can be a wee bit obsessive. She focusses on the end goal and never loses sight of it. She is one smart cookie. She is neutralised and held up by her partner, Indy. What a team they make. They are each the others Ying and Yang. Hannah is rocked by the disappearance of her flatmate, Mel. She knows something isn’t right, and my Jove, she’ll get to the bottom of it.

Never doubt how strong a woman a can be, nor how dangerous. Hand this book to those who doubt and wait for their reactions – there are three Skelf women in this story and they are definitely a force to reckoned with. Each one is struggling with their grief. Dorothy finds out her husband has been making strange payments from their business account to an unknown woman. Jenny needs to navigate her new life and her case involving a cheating man. Hannah needs to focus on finding her friend otherwise where will her thoughts take her?

Events lead to a crescendo of shocks and emotion. Will the Skelf women be swallowed up cold hard facts? Are they dabbling in things that they have no right dabbling in? It’s all very bleak – love and death are two sides of the same coin.

I’m very pleased this is going to be a series, I can’t wait to see what the author has the Skelf women getting up to next. The author hasn’t only created a bubble of death and mystery but real deep-thinking points also. He has addressed the #metoo issue and carved away the fog that often surrounds it. Women are so often brought up around by everyday misogyny that sometimes it can be difficult to picture it a different way. Would it be viewed differently if women were treating men in the same way. Even when they do, it seems to be more of a non-issue. The metoo movement needs to be tackled from both angles and Doug Johnstone does that eloquently.

Dark Matter was like quicksand. When you opened the books pages it sucked you in, further and further, until you were all in…nothing was going to pull you out. Doug steers you in each direction, a myriad of compulsive, addictive stories. He’s the crazy driver but you got in his car willingly. You’re in for the long haul, there is no getting out. It really is a book of self-discovery of three immovable women. They discover a lot about themselves. The backdrop was spot on, a true portrayal of Edinburgh. From the weather to the culture, each woman sees their city differently. Their experiences aren’t the same. It really breathes a dark and foreboding element into its pages…fear lurking within.

A Dark Matter is hypnotically readable. It was intense and surreal with a sense of creeping dread pouring from its spines. Doug Johnstone is a master craftsman that will continue to get better and better. This book had me gasping for breath at its sheer brilliance.

Doug Author Picture scaled - A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player- manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

https://dougjohnstone.com/

Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

August 22, 2019

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Published by Random House Children's Books on May 7, 2019
ISBN: 9781524720988
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, General, Action & Adventure, Romance
Pages: 496
Format: Hardcover
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Review: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

From the New York Times and internationally bestselling authors of the Illuminae Files comes a new science fiction epic . . .
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch . . .
A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasmA sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates A smart-ass tech whiz with the galaxy's biggest chip on his shoulderAn alien warrior with anger-management issuesA tomboy pilot who's totally not into him, in case you were wondering
And Ty's squad isn't even his biggest problem--that'd be Aurora Jie-Lin O'Malley, the girl he's just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler's squad of losers, discipline cases, and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.
NOBODY PANIC.

We the Legion,

We the Light

and burning bright against the night

Aurora Rising is dangerously dark, action packed, and an addictive kick off to Kaufman & Kristoff’s Trilogy Aurora Cycle. For someone that is a virgin to this dynamic duo’s writing – I was blown away into outer space. I’m going to miss the draft – intriguing opening line, who doesn’t love a bit of angst on the opening page? This awesome tale reminds me of a Guardians of the Galaxy X Battlestar Galactica – Be still my geeky heart!

Tyler Jones – Alpha of the squad, general hotbod and all-round good guy.

Aurora Lie-Jin O’ Malley – Frozen cryogenically, Crazy as a mofo superpowers, half Chinese, feeling like a fish out of water trying to get used to life 200 years in the future.

Scarlett Jones – Tyler’s older twin sister by mere minutes, badass extraordinaire, hot mama and could flirt with a cardboard box get it turned on.

Kaliis “Kal” Idraban Gilwraeth – Could start a war in an empty room but not really because he’s a freaking softy really…belongs in middle earth or my hot dreams – the things he can do with his wrists!

Zila Madran – Uber cool space scientist, mega jealous of her gravity defying earrings.

Finian – bisexual alien, gorgeous personality, exoskeleton weirdness.

Cat- My favourite character, badass warrior goddess. Think Lagertha in Vikings (at least that’s how I imagine her), can handle herself in any fight. Fucking impressive phoenix tattoo on her throat.

Straight away we know we aren’t in Kansas anymore. We meet Tyler the alpha of the squad who has answered an SOS call out and finds himself in the unprecedented situation of saving a 220-year-old cryogenically frozen girl. He’s running out of oxygen, he’s missing the fucking draft and is more than damn sure he’s going to die out there. Almost like magic both him and the mysterious girl are back on the ship and even more magical is the fact his lungs are full of oxygen and not deflated and pulverised from the abyss of space.

This book has everything I adore about Sci-fi (and I do have a love hate relationship with the genre because I have read so many that just annihilate the premise of space and shit over something that should be an amazing fucking world building opportunity). Kaufman & Kristoff nail it to the fucking floor. The Aurora interstellar training camp, heists to reclaim artefacts, creepy plants that remind me so much of those creepy AF creatures in the Alien Franchise. Want Aliens? This novel has it by the motherload.

I enjoyed reading the POV’ from all the main characters. I loved Cat’s, Kal’s and Aurora’s the most. Kals POV was fucking awesome. I love a torn character and his was obvious and heartbreakingly painful. He struggled with his ascension to joining the Aurora Legion (A modern space idea of The United Nations). He was a war breed and it was his natural instincts was to be stoking the fire of conflict. His people ended up obliterated during the war and Kal struggles with the internal battle of wanting to end people and wanting to bring peace to the outer reaches of space.

The hilarity in the story had me full on belly laughing. The references to The Lord of The Rings were the best though – high five to Aurora being able to confuse these aliens with the best one liners. The technical descriptions were believable but intelligent enough to flummox me at points. I loved the diversity in this book and I have it on very good authority that Kristoff is the King of inclusion. I think there is going to be a LGBQT+ relationship and it’s going to be a slow burn into the next two instalments. Finnian seems to be bisexual and is happy to have flirtatious thoughts for both the Jones twins. Interested to see just how this plays out.

Aurora Rising is a fantastic YA fantasy that fires into hyperdrive and doesn’t stop. If you want a book with the thrills, the aliens, the drama and humour then look no further. Kaufman & Kristoff bring the squad goals.

Million Dollar Marriage (Million Dollar #2) by Katy Evans

July 29, 2019

Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans
Published by Amazon Publishing on July 23, 2019
ISBN: 9781542007252
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Billionaires, Workplace
Pages: 272
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Million Dollar Marriage (Million Dollar #2) by Katy Evans

From New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans comes a hot romance about two strangers and their race to fall in love.
If someone had bet Nell a million dollars that she would be saying "I do" to a complete stranger on national television, she'd have called them crazy, but with her crushing student loan payments sending her deep into the red, she's out of options. This should be nothing more than a business transaction--until she sets eyes on her groom, and everything changes.
The game is on the instant Luke spots Penelope "Nell" Carpenter. He's out for the money, yes, but getting a little dirty with Nell doesn't sound too bad either. Everyone knows he's not the marrying kind, so it's a good thing it's just for show. God knows he's the worst guy his pretty wife should pick for real.
They have nothing in common, but if they want the grand prize, they'll have to beat out eight other couples. Proving that total opposites attract should be easy enough...as long as they don't fall in love in the process.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

When I saw a Katy Evans book up on Netgalley for review my trigger finger just couldn’t resist (even though I was getting so much closer to that Nirvana point of 85%). Katy Evans always produces the best romance stories and the best heroes. This is my second adventure with her books- the first being REAL. The title really had my attention – who doesn’t love the thought of A Million Dollars and in this day and age she has capitalised on the reality TV concept…Genius.

Nell -the beautiful but intelligent girl that prefers her own company to that of others. Socially awkward and with more brains than most of us have in our little fingers, she exudes class and poise. Meet Luke, our hero, drop dead gorgeous and the confidence that just falls from him in waves. Both have one thing in common and that is their lack of money. Nell’s father refused to support her through college if she chose not to go to Harvard. Therefore, she has accumulated 500k in student fees. Luke owns his family’s bar – it was his grandfathers’ baby. However, there is several mortgages out on the bar and it has also accumulated a serious amount of debt. Both of them hear about this reality tv show and get through – only one catch….why is it called Million Dollar Marriage. The book is told in dual POV and it reads and flows beautifully. It’s interesting hearing Nells awkward and scared thoughts against contrasting Luke’s uber confidence.

Can the duo complete all the tasks and walk away with the Million dollars? The money is needed by both of them -can they get past their differences and make the short experience work? Will they develop feelings for one another and make a real marriage or will they annul as soon as they possibly can.

I loved both the characters and their arcs were completely perfect. I enjoyed the yang and Yang component of the main characters. Sometimes life throws you a lemon but sometimes darling, you have to make the most fabulous lemonade from next to nothing. You don’t get a dress rehearsal in life, so you just got to lace that fucker up and go with it. Million Dollar Marriage is a fierce romance story with beautifully written broken characters. Your heart beats fast, your stomach clenches. Katy Evans is the master of the Alpha Male. Tack sharp writing as per.

Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon

July 24, 2019

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Published by Doubleday Canada on December 17, 2010
ISBN: 9780385674683
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Time Travel, Fantasy, Historical, General
Pages: 912
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

three stars - Voyager (Outlander #3) by Diana Gabaldon

From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.
Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.
Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite—or forever doom—her timeless love.

We continue onwards with Jamie and Claire’s story with Voyager. Twenty years have passed since Claire passed back through the stones again leaving the love of her life behind and emerging back in the future Pregnant with Jamie’s daughter, Brianna. Can an absent love survive the test of time? A tale of a lost love, duty and pain. I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this one but there was a few things that left me feeling supremely disappointed, this is upsetting as I was fully invested in Claire and Jamie’s story.

I started this book over a week ago (this is an unusually large amount of time for me to spend reading a book -even in the summer holidays). The start had me gripped but as I got further into the story it did seem to drag a fair bit and it took a long time to get to the main part of the storyline. Undoubtedly the research that has gone into the storyline was impeccable and done with such passion I cannot fault it but on a more character arc building front it fell short in places.

Themes of domestic violence, abduction, changes of power and chaos and order run prevalent through the book and are done to great extent and gave great clarity to the run up of events to Culloden and the subsequent years of Jamie’s life. Jamie didn’t just suffer the injustice of having to lose Claire- who really is the other half of him, he lost the child that he would never see be born, grow up and marry herself. There obviously was an element of grief and suffering for those reasons alone. The living alone – Jamie was deeply lonely and craved for nothing but to be with Claire again was hard to read. Jamie is a deeply selfless human and the fact he put so many others before himself made him a hugely relatable character.

The story flits between Claire’s time and Jamie’s and that worked particularly well in my opinion. Up until now we didn’t know what happened in the time between Culloden ending and Claire returning and living her life bringing up Brianna and living with Frank. Did Claire just settle back into married life with Frank? How much did she tell him? Did Jamie escape his jail term? Did he move on from his one love? The timeline moved smoothly along for me and it didn’t have me confused to where we were in the story.

The one single thing that knocked my rating down to 3 stars was Jamie and Claire’s reunion in the printers in Edinburgh. This was meant to be the big moment – they hadn’t seen each other in twenty years. Neither thought they would ever see each other again and it was the most underwhelming scene I could have read regarding the hype of how they could never love another the way they do for each other. Seriously if it was me there would be no meek little hello…jumping bones would have been the order of the moment. That’s what I had expected for such a sexualised couple.

“Do ye want me?” he whispered. “Sassenach, will ye take me – and risk the man that I am, for the sake of the man ye knew?”

Lots happen in the book, but I don’t want to spoil the main plot for those that haven’t read the books yet. However, one character makes a reappearance and I was shocked to hell and how just god damn crazy that person is and the lengths that they would stoop to in order to get their own way. Overall, still a great addition to the Outlander story with a few surprises, a lot of loving and a whole heap of swashbuckling along the way!

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon

July 10, 2019

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Published by Doubleday Canada on December 17, 2010
ISBN: 9780385674669
Genres: Fiction, Historical, General, Fantasy, Romance, Time Travel
Pages: 976
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon

From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland...
For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....
Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

Claire and Jamie return in a story of time travel, epic romance and historic foretelling. The second instalment opens with Claire returning to the Highlands with her grown daughter Brianna. Frank has passed on and Claire is a trained doctor. Brianna of course, doesn’t know the true reason for the visit, Claire plans on using the guise of the visit to tell her who her father really is…not Frank Randall. Claire promised Jamie that she would name the baby after his father, Brian.

Claire visits the reverends adoptive son, Rodger Wakefield Mackenzie (a descendant of Dougal Mackenzie). They visit all the old sites, criag na dun, Wentworth Prison, and a visit to Culloden. It is deeply upsetting for Claire, Jamie is the love she has never been able to get over. She obviously did love Frank, but nothing could hold a candle to the love she held for Jamie and him for her. God did I feel for Claire, Brianna was described as the double of her father, she left being completely sure that the love of her life was facing death and she could do nothing about it. I’m not ashamed to say that I cried ugly tears.

“I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower’s stem”.

Rodger discovers that his adoptive father kept quite extensive records on the period of time that Claire went missing. Records on Johnathon Randall (black Jack) and excerpts on one Jamie Fraser and newspaper clippings when Claire suddenly reappeared after a long period of time, pregnant and confused. Rodger has his suspicions regarding Claire’s behaviour, she seems sad, introspect and constantly seems in a different place. Claire takes them both to Criag Na Dun and confess that Brianna’s father is James Alexander Malcolm Fraser, not Frank Randall and explains the story of falling into the stones. The story then takes off from where book one finished.

“I will find you,” he whispered in my ear. “I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you – then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is the one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest.”

Their story takes us to France, Jamie was banished from Scotland due to treason and being wanted for murder, so they had no choice but to go to France. Claire, Jamie and Murtagh landed in France and from Claire’s knowledge of the future they aim to find some way to change the future of a very historic battle, Culloden. Jamie needs to save his Clan, he knows what the end result could be, and he’ll do anything to change it. The chapters based in France was so weird, Claire endured so much, Jamie had also been broke and now comes face to face once again with Black Jack Randall. Why the fuck can’t this sadist just die? Claire goes through hell (the baby, the king of France – what an absolute fruit loop that guy is.)

There is a large collection of secondary characters we are introduced to that melt your heart and love them just like you love Claire and Jamie. Fergus – the little French boy that Jamie takes him into his employ as a pickpocket. His personality is so very loveable and adores and love Jamie just like a father.

After the events in France Claire, Jamie, Fergus and Murtagh are sent back to Scotland. There are several battles (Preston pans and Falkirk), support for Bonnie Prince Charlie is growing and now has the support of the Mackenzie’s. Jamie has no choice but to lead his men in Culloden. The battle happens and by god it’s the saddest thing ever.

The ending, oh my dear heart. The ending tore me open and left me bleeding. Jamie sends Claire back through the stones back to her time. She’s pregnant and he needs her to be safe for the baby’s sake. The love making was heart wrenching. The absolute selflessness of Jamie, gah. Jamie cuts Claire at her request so that she always has his mark on her. This is a love story that transcends all time and space.

I really hope Book 3 doesn’t have this amount of heartbreak it in it.

His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me.

“Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well.”

A Debt Owed (The Debt Duet #1) by Clarissa Wild

July 2, 2019

A Debt Owed by Clarissa Wild
Published by Independently Published on May 15, 2019
ISBN: 9781096519508
Genres: Romance, Erotic, Dark Romance
Pages: 285
Format: eBook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - A Debt Owed (The Debt Duet #1) by Clarissa Wild

My enemy's daughter ... offered to me as payment towards a debt. Now she'll become my wife ... My pet.I wasn't always cold-hearted and vindictive.She made me that way.Charlotte Davis ... the most beautiful and privileged princess there is.I'd kill for her to be mine.We met by chance at her father's wedding ... And then again years later.But she forgot about me. Ignored me. Enraged me.Then her father did the unforgivable, and I made it my lifelong goal to ruin him ...By taking her as payment towards a debt he owed.A debt she will repay by marrying me.Until death do us part.WARNING: This book includes scenes that may be disturbing to some readers. Full length Dark Billionaire Romance.

She’s my hostage, someone I keep in a soft and velvety cage for my selfish needs.

What would you do if you were forced to marry someone you didn’t love, but if you didn’t you would watch someone you love die.

Charlotte is a tortured soul. All her life she has gone out of her way to try and please her father, to gain some kind of attention from him but he’s always just viewed her as an annoyance, someone he tolerates just because he has to. She’s been physically abused by him (at his own wedding no less) and now she has to save his sinking business by being the trade off against a hefty loan. She’s is the only innocent character is this situation. Her brother sucked, her father sucked and by god did Easton suck big hairy balls! Charlotte despite her flaws cares immensely for her family and doesn’t want to see any of them dead so accepts the situation grudgingly. It is through time that she realises that she really can’t live like this and has to find some means of escape. She is Easton’s wife but only in name, she is a captive, a prisoner. She’s watched 24/7. She’s not entitled to privacy, freedom or autonomy. This isn’t what she imagined for life, not at all.

Oh Easton, Easton, Easton

Where on earth do I begin with Easton? Between him and his father I really struggled to differentiate which was the bigger devil. Her father was a giant arse for sailing his daughter out to sea and basically selling her and Easton for having in it his head to buy her but also blame HER for his vendetta against her father.

The trouble I’m having is that I really liked the dark nature of Easton but a lot of his behaviours were borderline obsessive and out of order. The reason he wanted revenge against Charlotte was an apparent slight she gave him when they were in his father’s restaurant. She was extremely frightened of her fathers behaviour and knew what would happen if she spoke out against him. The fact that someone as cocky and arrogant as Easton held this grudge was pretty sad. A quick conversation could have put this wrong to rights (which Charlotte did, years later but Easton wasn’t for accepting it.) The way Easton treated Charlotte through the majority of the book was irking me. How I expected it to pan out was a kind of stolkholm syndrome type of plot. It is very clear that Charlotte is softening him up but why he continues to deny himself a love he’s felt since he first met her, I don’t understand.

Charlotte was an amazing character – Strong, caring towards family that quite honestly, don’t give a shit about her. Even although Easton thought he was running the whole show, really it was Charlotte. She used her sexuality against Easton to get what she wants and she didn’t often bow down to his demands. She held out a lot longer than I think Easton expected. I had a lot of respect for Charlotte’s character.

This was an enemy to lovers type of plot, I think at least this is where book 2 will lead us. The plot itself was fast paced and I lost track of time whilst I read it, I was that hooked. There wasn’t a lot of hot, steamy action in this book, which was fustrating because they had sexual chemistry by the boat load. I’m looking forward to seeing where book 2 takes us, and fingers crossed seeing a softer, more laid back Easton.

Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

June 26, 2019

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Published by Doubleday Canada on December 22, 2010
ISBN: 9780385674676
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Time Travel, Fantasy, Historical, General
Pages: 896
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...
In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.
Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

First of all let me start this review by saying that the characterisation and world-building by Gabaldon is stunningly beautiful. Your mind runs away with you imagining a dangerous but flawless highland countryside. It’s always a time I’ve wanted to have a peek at. Being a very proud patriot member of this wee country, it brought a sense of pride where we have come from.

For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary.

Claire Randall…Can stand toe to toe with any Highlander

We first meet English nurse, Claire in 1945 in the Scottish Highlands with her husband Frank. This is a second honeymoon for them after the spoils of war had kept them apart for the best part of seven years. Whilst collecting flowers for her keen interest in botany, she discovers a humming noise coming from the standing stones. She is transported back in time via a cleft stone to 1743. It is here that she comes face-to-face with her husband Frank’s evil ancestor, Captain Jack Randall (Black Jack). During their confrontation she is rescued/captured by a rival clan. Claire first meets a dashing, James Fraser whilst resetting his shoulder and nursing him back to health. The two are inexoribly intertwined when Claire is forced to marry young Mr Fraser to keep her out of the hands of Black Jack. Her strength of character is tested time and time again through perilous situations, witch trials and standing up for her own voice and concerns. She has the scottish strength of spirit instilled in her and she’s as fiery as the rest of us. She adapted well to the time and place, but better than I think I would and she brought incredible knowledge with her and used it for the greater good whilst she was in that time.

“You are safe,” he said firmly. “You have my name and my family, my clan, and if necessary, the protection of my body as well. The man willna lay hands on ye again, while I live.”

Diana Gabaldon is an incredible writer and although I haven’t read any historical fiction before, this has given me the gusto to try the rest of the series and possibly dip into the historical fiction genre more. The details pertaining to the 18th century and more particularly the events leading upto the Jacobite rising of 1745 were incredibly authentic. The character development was rich and fulfilling and each character had multi faceted elements which had me relating to the characters all in different ways. I was over the moon at Diana’s magical descriptions of the world she was building. I used to live in the highlands, about an hours drive from Inverness and everything was very realistic. I was very happy that she stuck to the true nature of the highlands.

There is so much to love about this story. Claire and Jamie, in my opinion, are the ultimate power couple to have ever graced the pages of a novel. They are the couple that the word Soul Mate were made for. Soul mates transcend time, they both just had to wait a long time for each other. This book evoked an emotional reaction in me with one particular scene upsetting me so profoundly. Jamie has to endure the worst kind of attack in order to protect Claire. I fully understand why he took this action but it was heartbreaking none the less. The retelling of what exactly went on and the mental and physical effect of this was just crushing for all involved.

Attention to detail – AMAZING

Meticulously Researched – ABSOLUTELY.

Review: Learning to Live (Learning #1) by R.D. Cole

June 19, 2019

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

learning to live by r d cole - Review: Learning to Live (Learning #1) by R.D. Cole

Learning to Live by R. D. Cole
Published by Createspace Independent Pub on August 29, 2013
ISBN: 9781491038352
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 294
Format: eBook
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

three half stars - Review: Learning to Live (Learning #1) by R.D. Cole

Due to strong sexual Content and language this book is not suitable for readers under 17 Being alive and living are not always the same. Trudy Love is used to being on her own and has rarely been shown affection. Between growing up in foster care and her abusive boyfriend she has no idea what life can be. At 19 she goes through something no one should ever experience and is left alone once again. Six months later she moves to Mobile, Alabama where she meets someone whose eyes bring back memories of the one person she misses everyday. Too late she finds herself caught in a storm of emotions that are unwanted, but she's determined to fight them off. Jaxon Coleman has a good life, and for him to attend one of the finest Med schools in the country and follow in his dad's foot steps is a dream come true. However, dreams can change in life and when he meets Trudy he knows his will never be the same. Jax knows she has secrets she is unwilling to share, but he's never given up on something he wants and he wants Tru. Can Trudy stop resisting her feelings and welcome the chance to live a different life than she pictured or will her defiance and haunted past eventually take her out of Jax's reach? After tragedy living is not easy, but with the right person it can be learned.

This is a sweet coming of age story. It’s about letting go of the past without forgetting the important lessons it has taught you along the way. It’s about finding yourself through trauma, despair and tragic loss. The main storyline evoked emotion in me firstly as a mother but also a fellow woman. The sadness of it will tear you open.

Tru Love is the heroine to beat ALL heroines.

Trudy Love is an imperfectly perfect character. She has been dealt a shitty set of cards – firstly being put into the care system at the age of 6 after her parents were more interested in where their next hit was coming from. Drugs were their priority, not their precious child. This moved on to having the WORST boyfriend any girl could ever have. Brad. Shitty shitty Brad. He was an extremely abusive character who appeared to get off on Tru’s fear and often capatilsed on it. I loathed him. He shared her around, he beat her, he demoralised him and finally she took the only thing she held dear to her…I hated him.

Tru brought herself back from the brink. She was back to having no-one again. She knew she needed to rediscover herself again, be her own person, not owned by someone. She learned that part of living life is being able to move on past the raw and open wounds but also being able to say “I deserve to live a happy life.” I LOVED that she learned from her abusers and now could take some of the biggest guys down…She was now defending other girls honor as well as her own. Tru Love is by far my absolute favourite heroine because she didn’t just drown in her grief and the feelings that life wasn’t fair – she actively worked her ass off to change and become a stronger version of herself.

The Complex family of Jazz & Jax

Wow…what a multi-diverse family they are. Jax’s parents couldn’t conceive again after he was born so they adopted children, one being a wheelchair bound beautiful girl – loved the inclusion of disabilities. This was a family that truly loved one another and would do anything to support the others. Their interaction was cute and playful and they all seemed to have an unbreakable bond. Jazz was a lovely girl but she would end up getting slapped a few times with how cheery and awake she was in the morning. Jax – gawd, how pleasing is it just to come across a guy that knows exactly what he wants and just goes for it. No games, no tricks just pure tru Love.

The pace was a bit slow in places for me, but overall it was nice, quick and sweet read. It wasn’t a 5 star read for me because the plot was predictable. I had worked out the person responsible pretty early on. I would have liked more twists and turns, maybe a bit more angst (I LOVE a book that makes me cry).