All posts by Melanie

#review, Book Tour, Jane E. James, Novels, Psychological Thriller

Not My Child by Jane E. James #review

2 Comments

not my child

not my child

Blurb

AN UNPUTDOWNABLE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WITH A BREATHTAKING TWIST.

All Tara longs for is her lost child to find her. But she should be careful what she wishes for . . .

Tara’s life is almost perfect. Her handsome husband Dino adores her. They have two beautiful children. Although money is tight, their marriage is happy.

But there’s something missing.

Tara can never forget the baby she was forced to give up for adoption all those years ago. The boy she called Ryan. She always wonders what happened to him.

Finally, a young man comes looking for Tara. He says he’s Ryan, her long-lost son.

His arrival will destroy everything in Tara’s carefully-constructed new life.

Because Tara has been keeping secrets from her husband and everyone around her. Secrets that Ryan’s appearance will force into the open — with horrifying consequences.

AN EXHILARATING BLEND OF DOMESTIC SUSPENSE AND NAIL-BITING TENSION WITH A SHATTERING FINAL TWIST.

Perfect for fans of Patricia MacDonald, Lisa Jewell, Shalini Boland, T.M. Logan and Clare Mackintosh.

My Review

I didn’t see that twist coming! This was a book I hated to put down, even though I had to. Otherwise, I would have finished it in one day. I loved the premise of the story, which had to be extremely hard to write. The author did an excellent job. This was the first book I’ve read by Jane E. James, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Book links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195076727-not-my-child

Buy Links – https://mybook.to/notmychild-zbt

About the Author

not my child

Jane E. James is a bestselling author who likes to create chilling reads that appeal to fans of psychological suspense thrillers, mysteries, and dark fiction. Her novels are packed with plot twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. All of them are standalone novels.

Jane is an animal lover and lives with her cat, Hero, in a small country village near Stamford, Lincolnshire, in the UK, which is known for its quirky tea shops and cobbled streets. Rebecca, Carrie, The Woman in Black and Wuthering Heights are among some of Jane’s favourite reads.

You can follow Jane at these links:

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jane_e_james

Website: http://www.janeejames.com

not my child

 

#amreading, #suspense, Books, Novels, Psychological Thriller, Theo Baxter

Vanished by Theo Baxter

4 Comments

I love a good psychological thriller and Vanished by Theo Baxter is just that!

Theo Baxter

Blurb

Maggie knows someone wants to hurt her daughter. So why will no-one help?

Single mother Maggie Conner struggles to raise her young daughter, Isabel, in a household ruled by her own abusive father.

Terrified for Isabel’s safety, Maggie realises that neither her cold, distant mother nor anyone else in town seem willing to help them.

Then Isabel starts to disappear for long periods, returning with no idea of where she has been or why.

And when Maggie tries to get outside help, doctors and psychologists seem strangely reluctant to get involved in Isabel’s case. Is someone threatening them so they’ll stay away?

Desperate to save her daughter, Maggie searches for answers. But the more she digs, the more she is forced to confront the secrets buried deep in her own past.

As Maggie’s whole world begins to unravel, can she find the strength to face the terrifying truth?

My Review

I’ve never read anything by Theo Baxter before, but the blurb for Vanished intrigued me. I wasn’t disappointed. It was a cracking, good read! The twists and turns kept me turning the virtual pages.
The characters are great – even the ones you want to hate, like Maggie’s abusive father.
Now that I’ve discovered Theo Baxter, I’ll be catching up with his novels.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196334627-vanished

Buy Links: https://mybook.to/vanished-zbt

About the Author

Theo BaxterTheo Baxter loves writing psychological suspense thrillers. It’s all about that last reveal that he loves shocking readers with.

He grew up in New York, where there was crime all around. He decided to turn that into something positive with his fiction.

His stories will have you reading through the night—they are very addictive!

You can find Theo online at:

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

 

#amreading, Matt Duff, medium, short stories

A Secret to Die For ~ Ghostly Tales from the Therapist’s Couch Book 1

4 Comments

Secrets. We all have them. But is any one of them A Secret to Die For?

Secret to Die For
Blurb

Book One from the series ‘Ghostly Tales From The Therapist’s Couch.’

Thomas is a well-renowned medium who often helps out Scotland Yard with their cold cases.

Joe, a reporter, trusted with a dangerous secret, flees to Scotland after his friend is murdered. Under police protection, he is pursued by the same hired assassin who is willing to do anything to prevent the Government’s secret from being revealed.

With this case weighing heavily on his thoughts, Thomas pays a visit to his friend and therapist, Ian Baker, for another session on this therapist’s couch!

Secret to Die For

My Review

Every now and then, I like to change things up a bit, and this short story fits the bill.
Thomas, a medium, takes us through a case he envisioned via a connection with a reporter from the past. He also takes his hypnotherapist along on this journey with a touch of his hand.
The story was fast-paced and kept me turning the virtual pages. I look forward to more in this series of Ghostly Tales from the Therapist’s Couch.

Book Links

 

About the Author

Secret to Die For I was born in 1969 in Sidcup, Kent. My father was a Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan police and my mother was a housewife. I grew up and went to school in Bexley, Kent. My love of writing started from a young age as I was always reading and had a creative mind. Teachers were impressed with my writing and moved me up to higher English groups. My writing was exhibited to the school. I am married to a teacher and have one son. I was a highly qualified independent driving instructor for 15 years. During this time, I studied hypnotherapy. I have always been writing stories and poetry for pleasure but over the past 6 years I took up writing in earnest in the hope of achieving publication which has always been my ambition. I draw inspiration from the people in my life and some of my own personal experiences.

#amreading, crime writer, crime writing, Crime/Mystery, Crime/Thriller, Edinburgh, Novels, Scotland, Val Penny

DI Hunter Wilson is back in Hunter’s Blood by Val Penny #HUNTERSBLOOD

2 Comments

I’m happy to announce the forthcoming book in the DI Hunter Wilson Crime Series written by Val Penny.
DI Hunter Wilson

DI Hunter Wilson

BLURB

DI Hunter Wilson never has just one problem to solve. Three elderly women he knows have died in mysterious circumstances. Hunter appears to be the only link. A little girl goes missing on a cold winter’s night. When his team discovers cocaine hidden at the farm where she was living, the search becomes even more urgent. Why did the women die? And what did the child witness? Hunter must find the answers to these questions to ensure his family and his city are safe.

MY REVIEW

DI Hunter Wilson

First off, let me say how much I love Val’s writing. Her setting of Edinburgh comes to life through her words. Her characters are believable, likeable, and some are just downright nasty.

In this 4th book of the series, DI Hunter Wilson and his team are tasked with solving the murders of three elderly women, one of which is his aunt.

I read this book a few years ago when Darkstroke released it, but I had forgotten how gripping it was until I read it again, now published by SpellBound Books Ltd. It was like settling in with an old friend. The characters and their foibles immediately found their way back into the forefront of my memory, and they, the crimes, and the setting kept me glued to the virtual pages until I reached the end.

BUY LINK(S) HUNTER’S BLOOD

 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

DI Hunter Wilson

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Author Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

WEBSITE LINKS

Website – https://www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

#amreading, Crime/Thriller, Eleonor Samuel, family noir, Novels, psychological crime, Psychological Thriller

The Nanny by Eleonor Samuel

4 Comments

Eleonor Samuel is a new author to me, but I’ll definitely be reading more of her books!

Blurb

The Nanny . . .

India McKenzie lost her mother far too young. And now she’s lost her best friend, too.

She needs to escape, so she takes a job with a wealthy family.

They live in an isolated old manor house in the Derbyshire countryside. There’s never anyone around.

The parents are not exactly warm. It’s all piano practice and scheduling playdates.

Seven-year-old Alicia can be difficult sometimes, but really she’s just a sweet little girl who’s lonely. She needs a friend — not just a nanny.

Everyone says the grown-up son is dangerous. But India can’t help being drawn to him . . .

And there’s something no one talks about. A secret that this family will do anything to keep.

India became a nanny to finally find a family to call her own. Now that she’s found them — will they destroy her?

. . . She’s part of their family now.

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171817078-the-nanny-an-absolutely-breathtaking-psychological-thriller-with-a-stunn

Buy Link – https://mybook.to/thenanny-zbt

My Review

India needs to start a new life away from University in Leeds and finds herself employed as a Nanny for John and Julia Maine’s young daughter, Alicia.

It sounds straightforward, but it isn’t. India has secrets. The Maines have a skeleton or two in their closet, too. And then there’s the oldest son, Alex, who stays in the house for at least now.

Rumours and innuendo abound, and India has to determine which ones to believe and which not. If she isn’t careful, she could be in danger.

This book sucked me in from the beginning. I love psychological thrillers with plenty of suspicious characters, and this book had no shortage of them.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist took me in a different direction, and it wasn’t until the end that all was revealed.

Author Bio

Eleonor Samuel

Eleonor was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and grew up in the fens, attending the King’s School Ely before moving to Nottingham to study medicine. Since graduating in 2011, Eleonor has worked as a children’s doctor in a number of hospitals and pursued her love of writing alongside her medical career. She married her husband Tim in Ely Cathedral in 2014, and they now live in rural Nottinghamshire with their two young children.

Eleonor’s Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EleonorSamuel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086500895050

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleonor.samuel/

Eleonor Samuel

Eleonor Samuel

crime writer, crime writing, Crime/Mystery, Marsali Taylor, Novels, Scotland

Death in a Shetland Lane by Marsali Taylor #DEATHINASHETLANDLANE

1 Comment

Today, I welcome Marsali Taylor to Celtic Connexions and the latest installment of her Shetland Sailing Mysteries, Death in a Shetland Lane.

Death

BLURB

Days before the final Shetland fire festival, in broad daylight, a glamorous young singer tumbles down a flight of steps. Though it seems a tragic accident, sailing sleuth Cass Lynch, a witness at the scene, thought it looked like Chloe sleepwalked to her death. But young women don’t slumber while laughing and strolling with friends. Could it be that someone’s cast a spell from the Book of the Black Arts, recently stolen from a Yell graveyard?A web of tensions between the victim and those who knew her confirm that something more deadly than black magic is at work. But proving what, or who, could be lethal – and until the mystery is solved, innocent people will remain in terrible danger…

HOW TO BUY

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Shetland-Lane-Sailing-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0BNDHKVRF/>

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 

death

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist guide who is fascinated by history and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women’s suffrage in Shetland. She’s also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht and an active member of her local drama group.

FOLLOW MARSALI

Author Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/MarsaliTaylorAuthor/
Website – https://www.marsalitaylor.co.uk
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marsali-Taylor/e/B0034PACI8/

Authors, Book Promo, Book Tour, Carol Wyer, crime writer, Crime/Thriller, Detective Kate Young, Novels, Thomas & Mercer

DI Kate Young in A Truth for a Truth by Carol Wyer

3 Comments

Welcome to Celtic Connexions and one of today’s stops on the blog tour for A Truth for a Truth, featuring DI Kate Young by Carol Wyer, the fourth in this gripping series.

Young

BLURB

DI Kate Young’s team is hunting for a killer. What they don’t know…is that the killer is her.

DI Kate Young has known for years that her boss, Superintendent John Dickson, is a violent and evil man. But when she finally confronts him and accidentally shoots and kills him, she’s forced to cover her tracks before anyone can pin his death on her. With revelations about his corruption soon to become public knowledge, Kate sets up a trail of evidence to make it seem that Dickson has conveniently vanished…

But Kate knows the corruption doesn’t end with Dickson. As she heads up the team investigating his supposed disappearance, she also pursues other loose ends. Stanka, the sex worker who supplied the evidence against Dickson, leads her to crucial information on another corrupt officer, DI Harriet Khatri, and her dubious involvement with sex traffickers.

As the noose starts to tighten on Kate, she finds herself targeted by traffickers, the bent cops on her force and even her own team of detectives. Can she stay one step ahead of them all and bring Harriet to justice? Can she trust anyone around her? And can she possibly get away with murder?

 

My review

DI Kate Young

I loved this book!

This is the best one in this series, and the others were cracking excellent reads. Carol has a knack for creating tortured characters you want to love (or hate) and wraps them in a fast-paced plot that keeps you turning the virtual pages.

And the ending? I didn’t see that coming.

About Carol

Young

USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer’s crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.

In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Australia. The third, A Life For A Life, is due out March 15th, 2022, but is available to preorder.

Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on BBC Breakfast television.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy who is very, very grumpy.

When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

To learn more, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer

You can also follow Carol at these links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolEWyer/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolewyer
Website: www.carolwyer.co.uk

Amanda Bedzrah, Authors, Becoming Queen Bathsheba, Novels

Becoming Queen Bathsheba by Amanda Bedzrah #BECOMINGQUEENBATHSHEBA

2 Comments

I’m pleased to be taking part in Reading Between the Lines Blog Tour for Becoming Queen Bathsheba by Amanda Bedzrah.

Queen Bathsheba

Queen Bathsheba

BLURB

She is taken against her will by the most powerful man in Israel. A month later, she discovers she carries the evidence of their dreadful encounter. With her husband at war, this pregnancy could mean her death. When the king finds out that she is with child, he immediately summons her husband home from war, a cunning plan in mind. 

Will the king’s plan work?

Will her life be spared?

Will there be any consequences for the injustice?

Will love grow in the middle of pain and give birth to second chances?

This novel is a fictional retelling of one of the greatest Bible stories of all time. This is a story of injustice, betrayal, deception, heartbreak, forgiveness, love, redemption and second chances. 

It reminds us that there are consequences for our choices, and we serve a God of justice.  He can use the tragedies in our lives and turn them into purpose. 

No pain is ever wasted with God.

Extract for Becoming Queen Bathsheba

PROLOGUE 

c. 990 BCE Jerusalem United Kingdom of Israel

As the sun fades in the sky, I sit rocking gently, gazing out of the vast window of the King’s inner chamber and watching hints of orange icker over golden brown clouds. My son suckles at my breast on this night before his first year on earth. The banquet room is already laid out: one hundred seats at the table, with the nest silver and gold plates, cups and cutlery at each place. The guests will arrive the early next day, travelling from near and far, some for days, honouring the

King’s invitation.

One hundred lambs were slaughtered earlier this day; the night is still thick with the re from the smoke used to roast them in preparation for the morning. A seamstress arrived from Egypt more than a month ago, to sew the woven fabric for every royal in the house.

Though the sun is setting, the King is still on the throne, attending to matters of the nation of Israel. I am alone in his private quarters in the West wing of the palace. I look around me; the room is huge and quiet. How did I get here? I have asked myself this question at least a million times. Each time I try to think about it I am faced with painful memories. I paid a huge price for the crown that rests on my head. The more I think, the more I come to realise the cost, the pain, the sacrifice — the truth. Buried within my soul are words I have dared not speak or imagine; and yet, are dying to break free. Perhaps, someone somewhere may and comfort in my truth, in my journey, in my pain to becoming the woman I am today. It is, for this reason, I allow my mind to run freely today, closing my eyes and thinking back to three years previously, to the day it all began. I must remember, and I must write it down.

I place my son in the large woven basket filled with the softest wool blankets and equally soft cushions: I walk over to the large desk where paper and ink wait for me. I pick up the pen. I dip it in the ink. I apply it to the parchment. It is time to tell my story.

You can buy Becoming Queen Bathsheba at:

Amazon.co.uk

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 

Queen Bathsheba

Amanda is a wife and a mother to three beautiful children. She is an author, a prayer minister, an inspirational speaker, a restoration catalyst, and a mentor. Amanda is passionate about seeing people restored and living a full life beyond salvation. 

She is a passionate Bible teacher who uses practical examples to teach godly principles. She is a Law Graduate (2:1 LLB Hons) from the University of Wolverhampton, a Prince 2 Practitioner, and she is certified in Business Analysis Practice. 

Amanda is also the founder and CEO of Empower a Woman (www.empowerawoman.org), a UK-based non-profit organisation that is set up to meet the needs of vulnerable women. 

Today she is in a much happier place. She is restored, healed, and delivered and is driven by her own personal mission statement for change:

Just because I can’t do everything

Doesn’t mean I won’t do anything

Even if I can only do something

I REFUSE to do nothing

Follow Amanda at these links:

Website – amandabedzrah.com

Instagram – Amanda_Bedzrah

Facebook – Amanda Bedzrah

Twitter – @Gigidoll2020

Amazon Author Page – Amanda Bedzrah

#amwriting, dual timeline, Novels, occult, supernatural, The Haunting of Kembleford Manor, urban exploration

#snippetsunday ~ The Haunting of Kembleford Manor

4 Comments

I’ve never taken part in #snippetsunday before, but I thought I would share the first draft of the opening scene in my dual timeline novel, The Haunting of Kembleford Manor.

Here goes. I’d really appreciate some feedback.

Albert Kembleford strode across the office, turned the key in the lock and left it hanging in the door. When he returned to his desk, the letter from the bank that arrived in the mail earlier in the day taunted him. The body of it was bad enough, but did the institution have to humiliate him even more with the word FORECLOSURE stamped in red on the whitespace near the top of the letterhead.

He knew it would come to this. Six months ago, he re-mortgaged the house to pump money into his lumberyard after a deal he’d counted on to bring him back from the brink fell through. Albert never told his wife they were in financial trouble. It wasn’t done. Being the breadwinner and provider for his family fell on his shoulders. He couldn’t bear his family knowing he was a failure.

The time had come. Albert reached into the middle left drawer of his desk, pulled out his Smith and Wesson revolver, and ensured the chamber was fully loaded. He had one chance to do it and wanted nothing left to error.

His crystal decanter of single malt stood on a tray with matching glasses. He’d have one before his time on this earth was up. Dutch courage. One for the road. He poured three fingers into the tumbler — two wouldn’t be enough. A ray of sun coming in the window glinted off the cuts in the glass making it sparkle and illuminating the amber liquid so that it glowed.

He would miss this house and the town of Pike Falls where he chose to settle and make his fortune. Too bad it didn’t turn out that way. He gulped down the whisky and returned the glass to its proper place. Only then did he sit behind his desk. This same place where he completed paperwork for his lumber empire — ha! — many times. 

As much as he wanted to burn the letter, he couldn’t. He needed to leave it for his wife Patience to find so she wouldn’t feel guilty thinking it was something she did to make him do what he was about to. Across the bottom of the letter he scrawled, I’m sorry, dearest Patience. Please forgive me. Love always, Albert.

Then, he cocked the gun, placed the end of the barrel against his temple and pulled the trigger.

So there you have it, my #snippetsunday offering. What did you think?

In due course, I’ll be sharing the cover image for the book, but in the meantime, watch for more #snippetsunday offerings.

 

#amwriting, #review, contemporary romance, It Happened in Gastown, Novels, sweet romance, sweet romance mystery, Writing

Readers’ Favorite 5-star review for It Happened in Gastown!

2 Comments

I’m very excited this morning to share this wonderful Readers’ Favorite 5-star review for It Happened in Gastown with the world! At least the world who visits my blog. What am I saying? I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops everywhere.

Readers' Favorite

Here’s the review.

In It Happened in Gastown by Melanie Robertson King, the author has taken romance, drama, intrigue, and unpredictability and written a story that catches the reader’s attention from the unusual start to the unexpected ending, one which is most intriguing and leaves the reader pondering and wondering in the best possible way. It Happened in Gastown introduces the main characters of Constables Hilary Dunbar and Luka Stephanopoulos, Xena, her German Shepherd, Taylor Simpson, Doctor Singh, Sun Huang, Robert MacDonald, Eric, and Zack Daniels. These characters make up a story that starts as a drama to be investigated and then leads the reader into a romance that may or not may survive. They then meet inhumane people who sit in judgment without knowing the full circumstances of what Hilary and Eric are going through.

Melanie Robertson King is an author I have not heard of before but I will be looking out for more of her books. King has written a story that would encourage any young adult venturing into the world of reading romances combined with intrigue and adventure. This would allow the young reader to advance to other books as well. This story can be enjoyed by all young adults, no matter their gender. It Happened in Gastown is hard to put down until the very last page is read. I really enjoyed reading this book and will be reading more of King’s writing. Thank you to the author for a delightful and enjoyable story.

See why I’m so happy?

You can purchase It Happened in Gastown here and see what made it so special that this reviewer at Readers’ Favorite gave it 5-stars.