Top neurosurgeons Samantha Gordon and Yanis Baptiste spend one unforgettable night together in Paris. Their reunion in London proves even more explosive when they discover Sam is pregnant with twins! Neither Sam nor Yanis is prepared for parenthood, but those two tiny heartbeats could help them find the family neither of them believed they would ever have…
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
For Sam and Yanis working together in Paris leads to an intense attraction. After a traumatic surgery, they enjoy an intimate encounter on Sam’s last night in the city. Sam doesn’t like letting down her guard and doesn’t expect to see Yanis again. When he takes a neurosurgeon’s role at Sam’s hospital, she is surprised, and that’s not her only shock that day.
Sam and Yanis are dedicated professionals who have to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle. Yanis is supportive, and understanding although he has doubts and worries. Sam has many issues, but as they learn to work as a personal team, they find the love they deserve.
An authentic medical setting and a heartwarming romance make this an engaging read.
Their spontaneous fling…Will have unexpected consequences
Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, Laney desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. When sexy stranger Gianni Martino steps in as her plus-one, Laney can’t help herself from exploring the explosive chemistry between them! But soon, she discovers who Gianni really is! Escaping to Italy to protect her heart, Laney finds that Gianni is not so easily forgotten…and neither is their fling!
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
This story is a fusion of romance tropes, notably fake romance, enemy to lover and pregnancy surprise. I like Laney, even though she is brittle at times. Her family’s critical comparisons make her this way. It’s difficult for her to believe that Gianni likes her the way she is, particularly when she discovers his secret. Their relationship is slow to develop, but the attraction intensifies, accompanied by emotional commitment.
Kitty will do anything for the foundation inspired by her tumultuous childhood. Even agree to a fake relationship to help Laurence, the impossibly guarded man from her past, land his next deal. Only their chemistry is anything but make-believe!
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
I enjoyed this Cinderella-style romance. The protagonists both had difficult and emotionally bereft childhoods. Kitty is self-reliant. She created a charitable foundation to help young people forgotten by the welfare system to realise their potential. Laurence is rich but emotionally distant.
Both flawed characters have unlikeable traits, but they have a powerful chemistry that catalyses a sensual romance. It’s easy reading, and the main characters develop as individuals and deserve their happy ending.
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history.He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus?
But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Books UK-Viking via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
The second book in this cleverly crafted series is an engaging read. The club members vow to seek justice for Ibrahim after a brutal assault and are pitted against organised crime when someone from Elizabeth’s past returns.
The main characters are distinctive and easy to like. The well-paced plot has humour and poignancy with a positive view of ageing, which is refreshing and uplifting. The downside of getting older is explored but not seen as defining the characters.
An engaging mystery with entertaining characters makes this story well worth reading.
High-flying lawyer Jay Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.
Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jay suspects he’s protecting someone.
Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no-one ever wants to hear. Sit down, because I have something to tell you….
Now Jay must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
You are always guaranteed an immersive reading experience with this author. The characters are complex, flawed and relatable. The situations they encounter are believably created and explore moral dilemmas and relationship dynamics. The pacing is perfect, and you are addicted after the first few pages.
Jay is a successful criminal lawyer who takes on a case as the duty solicitor. She has a good balance of personal and professional life and enjoys her work. Edward is a successful architect and property developer. When he discovers his wife’s body upstairs in his home, he finds himself the prime suspect in her killing.
This is a multilayered story with a strong,well-researched legal element. Interwoven with the criminal case is a myriad of emotional relationships, as perceived by Jay, the lawyer. Her marriage seemingly perfect comes under pressure, and as she delves deeper into her client Edward’s life, she finds herself compromised, emotional and professionally.
This is an engaging and fascinating story that resonates.
Susan Lewis
Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime, including One Minute Later and Home Truths and My Lies, Your Lies. Susan’s novels have sold nearly three million copies in the UK alone. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Susan has previously worked as a secretary in news and current affairs before training as a production assistant working on light entertainment and drama. She’s lived in Hollywood and the South of France, but now resides in Gloucestershire with husband James, two stepsons and dogs.
Fifteen years ago, Rolf was destined for the gutter.
His luck has changed. Now a cellist with the Salzburg City Orchestra, he has his dream job and dizzying prospects.
All because of her.
Smart, sexy, well connected and crazy about him, Leonor is his fantasy woman. She made him and he’ll never forget it.
Neither will she.
She chooses Rolf’s diet, his friends, his decisions and career path. She knows best. When does a champion turn controller?
While he submits to domination at home, he struggles at work. The maestro is determined to break down and rebuild his new cellist. Clash after clash shatter Rolf’s confidence until he doubts everything about himself.
Then a rumour reaches his ear. Has he misjudged his new friends? Is something more sinister pulling the orchestra’s strings?
Regardless of the drama behind the scenes, the show must go on. It’s the only way to escape his past.
A classic artist, Rolf presents the best side of himself, hiding the pain of imperfection. A strategy with devastating results.
I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
Set mainly in Salzburg, focusing on a professional orchestra. Relationships, both personal and professional, control and power are the predominant themes in this story. The setting is vividlydescribed, and the reader gets a good sense of place through the sensory imagery. The vivacity extends to the characters, some of who are unlikeable. Unreliable protagonists mean that it’s hard to decipher lies from the truth. The dynamics within the orchestra are fascinatingly described. This book focuses on issues of control and is disturbing reading.
It has originality and a rawness that will appeal to many readers.
J.J. Marsh
As an English teacher, actor, director and cultural trainer, I’ve lived and worked all over Europe. Now I’m a full-time author, publisher and audiobook narrator.
When Stina and Jack move to an old rural cottage, they’re hoping for a fresh start.
Their new home is run-down compared to their neighbour’s, but generous Mrs Barley quickly becomes a friend. Until Stina sees a mysterious figure in the widow’s garden, and her happy new life begins to unravel. And when she hears strange noises in the night, she is forced to question if Mrs Barley is what she seems.
Why do the other villagers whisper about her? Why is she so eager to help the couple? And what is she hiding in her picture-perfect home?
I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
The opening chapter of this story takes the reader back to 1964 and a domestic scene, relatable yet with sinister implications. Time moves forward to 2012 when Stina and her partner move into Whisper Cottage. Stina’s unplanned pregnancy, the catalyst for the country move. Immediately there are echoes with the book’s beginning, and you wonder if they too will feel the pressures of raising a young child.
This is an atmospheric story with hints of supernatural events and the possibility of mental health issues for the young expectant mother. Stina is an unreliable protagonist. The reader is never sure if she sees what she thinks she does. The villagers’ archaic reaction to Stina’s neighbour is complex, disturbing and believable.
The intricate world-building slows the pace but is integral to the story’s authenticity. The plot twists are impactful. This is an intriguing gothic style mystery with hints of domestic noir and psychological suspense.
Anne Wyn Clark lives in the UK, in the Midlands, with her husband, son and a feisty chinchilla. She has three (now grown-up) children and five grandchildren. She is particularly partial to Italian food, decent red wine (or any coloured wine come to that…) and cake – and has been known to over-indulge in each on occasions. She is passionate about animals and their welfare. Whilst she has enjoyed writing for many years, a love of all things gothic inspired her to try her hand at producing something dark and twisty, culminating in the haunting Whisper Cottage.
What if the Lift driver who finds your cheating boyfriend’s phone holds the directions to true love?
‘Who are you and why do you have my boyfriend’s phone?’
‘He left it in my car. You must be the blonde in the red dress? I’m the Lift driver who dropped you two off earlier.’
And with these words, the life of the brunette and t-shirt wearing Maya Maas is turned upside down. Having planned to surprise her boyfriend, she finds herself single and stranded in an unknown city on her birthday. So when the mystery driver rescues Maya with the suggestion that she cheers herself up at a nearby beach town, she jumps at the chance to get things back on track. She wasn’t expecting a personalised itinerary or the easy companionship that comes from opening up to a stranger via text, let alone the possibility it might grow into something more…
I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus – Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
This is a heartwarming romantic comedy with an element of mystery set in California. Maya’s life is not turning out how she planned. When a career-making assignment implodes, Maya decides to surprise her boyfriend in California. Maya’s text to her boyfriend is answered by a stranger who has unwelcome news but offers a chance for fun that she decides to accept., Vividly created characters immerse the reader in their story. The romance is gentle, and there’s a mystery to solve. With lots of heartache and humour, this is a lovely escapist read for those who believe in love, serendipity and soulmates.
Olivia Lara
OLIVIA LARA‘s love for words started as a child when she spent her summer vacations watching her grandfather, who worked for the biggest publishing house in Romania, edit hundreds of books. She is a former journalist for a newspaper and a television network in Bucharest, now a Marketing VP in San Francisco – in between she lived in France where her love for Paris and the Alsace region was born. Her first book, Someday in Paris, became a B&N, Apple, Kobo and Amazon Top 100 Bestseller and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards. She lives in the Bay Area, California.
When Detective Kjeld Nygaard is called to the discovery of a body in the burnt-out shell of a house, his heart sinks. He never wanted to see this house again. The house of a notorious serial killer. The house where he rescued Louisa Karlsson from being murdered.
But when they discover the body is in fact Louisa, the mystery deepens. It can’t be the old serial killer. He’s dead.
Then another body is found, again killed in the exact place where Kjeld saved them from another murderer. Another survivor dead.
With the clock ticking Kjeld and his partner Detective Esme Jansson are desperate to stop any more survivors from being murdered. But every clue they find leads to a dead end. Why is the killer picking off people Kjeld rescued? Could it be connected to another of his previous cases?
When Kjeld’s daughter is kidnapped – it’s a race against time to save her life. Can Kjeld stop the killer without paying the ultimate price or will he be the last one alive?
I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
Chilling and claustrophobic, the second book in the Detective Kjeld Nygaard Scandi crime series draws the reader into a disturbing world of death. Attacks on survivors trouble Kjeld, as he struggles with guilt over his personal life and his connections to a serial killer. The dynamic between Kjedl and Esme, his partner, is believably written. We discover more about Esme’s personal life and find, she too, has secrets. The story intensifies as Kjeld tries to unravel the murders with their disturbing personal connection.
The story is rooted in Scandinavia, and this adds an engaging dimension, coupled with the complexly flawed protagonists, the menacing murders and the twisty plot.
I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return of an honest review.
My Thoughts…
The dramatic beginning sets the pace and scene for a twisty tale of betrayal and deception. The reader is given an omnipotent view of events, and the author’s use of dramatic irony is good. The main protagonists are unreliable, leading to unexpected twists to intensify the suspense and keep the reader guessing.
The author’s original perspective on the child abduction theme works well and delivers a poignant and suspenseful read.
Gemma Rogers
Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband, two daughters.
