23rd Aug 2019 – White Tulip Candles

PUBLISHERS BLURB

Karen Devitt is a young, beautiful and ambitious artist. She is also struggling to make ends meet. And to make matters worse her father has fallen ill. Through love and a sense of duty, she neglects her painting to be by his side while her brother, in the absence of their father, is forced to take over the family firm which is now collapsing under his stewardship, leaving the entire Devitt family in disarray and facing certain financial ruin.

Single, but not looking for love, Karen meets the dashing and ruggedly good looking Ralph Corbeck, a wealthy landowner of a prestigious game reserve in southern Africa. He is also a highly regarded businessman and a ruthless investor with a reputation as a womaniser. And he has identified and targeted the Devitt’s family business for an aggressive takeover.

From Karen and Ralph’s first encounter emotions run high, and unwittingly, Karen is lured to his game reserve where she stays at his extraordinary safari chalet, Vundu Lodge. Here, she begins to get an insight into the real Ralph Corbeck. Betrayal, deceit, jealousy and love all have their role to play, and the inferno and beauty of the African wilderness fuels this searing and beautiful romance.

MY REVIEW

Karen and Ralph’s first meeting is a little frosty to say the least…‘I’m not sure if anyone has ever told you but your opinion of yourself is excessively overinflated,’ and her brother warns her off him……but she is attracted to him anyway..

When Ralph invites her to his game reserve, she accepts….

This is where Tessa Andrews marvellously descriptive writing takes hold, you can feel the peace of this quiet and beautiful landscape, its magical simplicity.. but there is also danger, from the wildlife, poachers and even the dry landscape itself….

A romance begins between Karen and Ralph, but circumstances and misunderstandings cause this to change and they begin to drift apart…if only they would talk to each other properly……so frustrating!

Eventually, they do come to their senses……but will it all end well….?

A beautifully written, compelling romance with twists and surprises all set amid the African landscape. Stunning.

Book reviews, Psychlogical thriller

Perfect Stranger by Jake Cross – Book Review

23rd Aug 201922nd Aug 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

You let her in. You’ll wish you hadn’t.

Following a whirlwind romance, Rose and Chris’s marriage has been unshakeable for twenty years. But when teenager Katie turns up on their doorstep, blonde, wide-eyed and beautiful, their perfect life threatens to crumble to pieces. Because Katie says she’s Chris’s long-lost daughter, the product of a forgotten summer fling.

The couple is still reeling from shock when Katie tells them she has nowhere to go. The couple is her only hope. Kind-hearted Rose invites Katie to stay, despite Chris’s protests. The poor girl has only just lost her mother – they can’t leave her out on the street.

But soon after Katie moves in, strange things start happening. Someone crashes into a neighbour’s fence. An unexplained fire starts in the couple’s kitchen. And a family friend coming to visit disappears on the way to the house. Chris insists Katie has to go. But it’s Chris who won’t explain where he was at the time their friend went missing…

The couple’s dream life seems to be turning into a nightmare. With dark secrets about Chris’s history with Katie’s mother coming to light, Rose no longer knows who to trust. Soon, she isn’t sure whether she’s invited a dangerous stranger into her home, or whether she’s been living with one all along…

A chilling thriller that will make you question everything you think you know about your loved ones. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Then She Was Gone and The Perfect Child won’t be able to put this book down.

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MY REVIEW

Chris and Rose have an 18 year old daughter Julia. Life is plodding away nicely, apart from Rose’ rheumatoid arthritis, all is as it should be.

But then a note is put through their door ‘I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO EVE LEVINE’

Rose thinks it must be something to do with Chris’ work at the hospital….but Chris seems to remember something from his past.

Then, after a mugging, they meet Katie, she says she’s Eve’s daughter…..and Chris is her father! As there had been a fire at Katie’s flat, she comes to stay with them….while they wait for paternity test results to come back.

Strange and violent events start to happen, Julia’s friend is hurt and secrets start to be unearthed …..not everyone is as they initially seemed to be…

This is a compelling psychological thriller with many twists and revelations that keep the sense of menace building from start to the nail biting finish.

Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my in honest, unbiased review.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07TS7DZYTSocial

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2J5UTfx

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2XJmICs

Googleplay: http://bit.ly/30b8iZd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jake lives in England and is the author of the standalone thrillers The Family Lie and The Choice, which hit the top 5 in Australia and was a bestseller in the UK and Canada.

Author Social Media Links

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeCrossAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17625443.Jake_Cross

Book reviews, Children’s fiction

Meditation for Children: A Book Of Mindfullness by Shelley Wilson – Book Review

23rd Aug 201922nd Aug 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

Author and meditation tutor Shelley Wilson takes you on a magical journey to a calm and happy place that you and your child will love.

Children of all ages can learn and enjoy the benefits of meditation.

Designed to help access creative abilities through relaxation and imagination, these stories help develop the necessary tools needed at a young age for lifelong healthy habits of managing stress and anxiety while also improving learning skills.

Meditation for Children is a simple way to introduce children to mindfulness through guided visualization. Includes a handy reference guide and instructions.

MY REVIEW

This is an absolutely charming book, with lovely illustrations by Phaedra Elson.

The beginning has some gentle pointers and a how to guide for parents….

Stories – for anytime, day or night, but perfect for a bedtime routine too
Drawing exercises for children to interpret the story in their own way
Simple breathing exercises

The stories themselves are all between 2.5 and 3.5 minutes long, and are gentle and magical to encourage the imagination. For bedtime, it’s the. Goodnight, sleep tight or daytime a drawing of the adventure…..

I’m sure this will be calming for both the parent and the child and as I have a granddaughter due in December and this will be one of her first books.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

you can buy a copy here

https://amzn.to/2ZnqspP

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Wilson is an English author of motivational self-help titles and young adult fantasy fiction.

Her sensible side writes non-fiction books to inspire you to be the best you can be, and her cheeky and playful side writes young adult fiction to remind you to nurture that inner teen.

Shelley is a single mum of three, has a crazy black cat called Luna and is obsessed with vampires, Tudor history, and exploring castles.

She’s tall (5ft 10inches) which seems to surprise people when they meet her. She often hears, “you’re much taller than your profile picture!” (Courtesy of Goodreads)

Find her on twitter http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyWilson72

or Facebook http://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson

Book reviews, Psychlogical thriller

A Place To Lie by Rebecca Griffiths – Book Review

23rd Aug 201922nd Aug 2019 lel2403

PUBLISHERS BLURB

In a dark, dark wood

In Summer 1990, Caroline and Joanna are sent to stay with their great aunt, Dora, to spend their holidays in a sunlit village near the Forest of Dean. The countryside is a welcome change from the trauma they know back home in the city; a chance to make the world a joyful playground again. But in the shadowy woods at the edge of the forest hide secrets that will bring their innocence to a distressing end and make this a summer they will never forget.

There was a dark, dark house

Years later, a shocking act of violence sends Joanna back to Witchwood. In her great aunt’s lonely and dilapidating cottage, she will attempt to unearth the secrets of that terrifying summer and come to terms with the haunting effects it has left on her life. But in her quest to find answers, who can she trust? And will she be able to survive the impending danger from those trying to bury the truth?

MY REVIEW

This begins with Caroline feeling paranoid on a trip to a supermarket, that everyone is a danger to her….then she is confronted by someone she recognises and tragedy ensues…

The story is then told in the present day with skips back to the summer of 1990. Caroline and Jo had been sent to stay with their Great Aunt Dora, their mum isn’t well.

They enjoy the freedom of the countryside, but Caroline is not really settled, she steals trinkets and is easily upset, saying things that may not be exactly true.

What did happen to their friend Ellie? Who is keeping secrets and who is telling the truth?

I loved the descriptive writing that builds the atmosphere of a summer in the countryside, the people and events and the general sense of something dark just under the surface. A compelling, rural mystery with some surprises!

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book and this is my honest, unbiased review

You can buy a copy here

https://amzn.to/2NoX405

Praise for Rebecca Griffiths

“Superbly evokes the brooding beauty of the countryside and the menace that can lurk behind its hedges… Twisty, atmospheric and elegantly written, it has echoes of Daphne du Maurier with its shivering paranoia, fear and dread, and introduces an exciting new name to “domestic noir” Daily Mail

“This is a chilling thriller . . . a brilliantly written book” The Sun

“I was hooked from page one and downed this book in one lip-smacking, thirst-quenching gulp!” Crime Squad

“Gripping” Hello

“A lusciously atmospheric rural mystery with a delicious backflip of an ending. There were moments that literally gave me shivers.” Alex Marwood

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca Griffiths grew up in rural mid-Wales and went on to gain a first class honours degree in English Literature. After a successful business career in London, Dublin and Scotland, she returned to mid-Wales where she now lives with her husband, a prolific artist, their three vampiric cats as black as night, and pet sheep the size of sofas.