Sarah Hardy

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

August 20, 2018August 19, 2018 Sarah Hardy

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Book Description:

Some things can’t be undone . . . One fateful night three women reveal secrets that will change things for ever. From the bestselling author of the EMMY- and GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNING HBO series Big Little Lies.

Are the bonds of sisterhood strong enough to withstand some real home truths?

Sensible Lyn is struggling to balance being a mother, wife and businesswoman without losing her mind. Cat, whose perfect marriage is the envy of all her friends, never suspects that her husband has been hiding a secret that will tear her life apart. Directionless Gemma changes jobs and boyfriends every few months and has just met a new man who could be the one to unlock her hidden past.

Through everything, the bonds of the sisters are strong enough to withstand whatever life throws at them. That is until the night of their thirty-fourth birthday dinner, when home truths are revealed and things are said that can’t be taken back . . .

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. Meet Cat, Lyn and Gemma who are triplets. My head went into overdrive to what it must have been like for the sisters growing up with siblings that are the same age. Also how as a parent do you cope with three babies! When we first meet them though they are celebrating their thirty fourth birthday. The story does flick to the glimpses of when the women are children but it mainly concentrates to the run up to present day.

All the sisters are quite different in personalities. All going through different things in their own lives. Cat was the one that stood out the most for me. I think because she is quite a tough cookie and has the most to deal with out of the sisters. Even though at times she probably isn’t that likable, I really had a soft spot for her.

There is a real sense of family in this book. Not just with siblings but with their parents also. One character I really loved was the nana. What a fabulous character. She brings a lot of humor and even though the rest of the family get frustrated with her, they love her dearly.

Three Wishes is a wonderful family drama of which I got totally wrapped into. Whilst everything isn’t plain sailing for this family and they have their share of disagreements, I think it reminds us that no matter what, we only get one family and whilst they may not be perfect, they are there to be treasured. A delightful and entertaining read.

Three Wishes is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

The Edge Of Sanity by Chris Thomas @Bloodhoundbook @cthomasauthor1

August 19, 2018August 19, 2018 Sarah Hardy

Book Description:

In a derelict squat, the Smart Man watches as the new narcotic developed by his shadowy organisation wreaks havoc on it unsuspecting victims. The drug is now ready for sale on their exclusive darknet market place.

Elsewhere, DCI Robert Smith, the retired head of the Cyber Crimes Unit, seeks out crime boss Curtis Slater at his remote farm. He offers to provide Slater with information in exchange for money. But what information is he offering?

Meanwhile, former detective Pete Harris had started a new life, away from the Cyber Crimes Unit, with his daughter and begins to rekindle his relationship with old colleague Grace Brooks.

With his life seemingly complete, Pete’s world comes crashing down as he is drawn into Slater’s game with fatal consequences. He must join forces with his old enemies in a race against time. But can Pete save his daughter and Grace from the clutches of Slater, the Smart Man, and the sinister ring master, the Professor?

A dark psychological thriller

My Thoughts:

This is the authors second book and yet another dark and disturbing read. I personally do think readers will benefit from having read, Enter The Dark, the authors first novel as it features some of the characters and gives you more of an insight into the Cyber Crimes Unit as well as the dark web which I think is important to this story.

To start with the story felt a bit like a horror film. I don’t want to go into to much detail but the affects that the new drug has on people was pretty horrific to say the least. If your not easily shocked though, you are going to love it! I certainly did.

The story very much focuses on drugs and the dark web. It is certainly a world I didn’t really know much about or really understand. Having read this authors books, it’s a world I hope to goodness I never find myself part of either. There is no wonder Pete wanted to put it behind him. Sadly he gets dragged right back into the thick of it.

There are some really good characters in this book. Some good, some not so good and some definitely very bad. They are all an important part of the story though and I enjoyed them all for who they were. I mean even the baddies, who doesn’t love a good baddie? Danny was one of my stand out characters I think mainly because of the situation he finds himself in.

The Edge of Sanity is a dark and enthralling read of which I had to keep turning those pages. It gives you a great insight into a powerful and disturbing world that will no doubt shock and horrify you. It would certainly make a great movie that’s for sure.

My thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

The Edge Of Sanity is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Author Bio:

Chris Thomas was born near London in 1978 before moving to Buckinghamshire a few months later. He attended the University of Bristol, graduating with a degree in psychology in 1999. It was here that he developed his interest in criminal psychology and serial killers.

After a brief stint working at an investment bank in London, he left the City to work for his wife’s family business, a position he still holds.

Chris is an avid film fan, especially horror, thrillers and dark comedy- something that he tries to blend in his writing. He self-published his debut novel The Red Room in February 2017 before joining the Bloodhound Books stable and re-releasing the book as Enter The Dark.

The follow up, “The Edge of Sanity”, will be released by Bloodhound Books in August 2018.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys karate (holding a black belt) and spending time with his wife and two young daughters.

Links:

http://www.christhomas.com

http://www.facebook.com/christhomasauthor

@cthomasauthor1

Blood Tears by Michael J. Malone @michaelJmalone1

August 19, 2018August 19, 2018 Sarah Hardy

Book Description:

The first in a series of books with D.I. Ray McBain – a Glasgow detective who turns to his best friend, Kenny O’Neill when he goes on the run after he becomes the prime suspect in a grisly murder.

An old man is found murdered in his Glasgow flat. DI Ray McBain is called to the scene and is the first to notice that the man’s wounds mirror the Stigmata. The police quickly discover that the victim is a former janitor who worked in several care homes where he abused his charges. Is someone taking revenge thirty years after the fact?

McBain, as a child was a resident of Bethlehem House, a Catholic run care home where the murdered man worked and early on in the investigation, McBain decides to hide a crucial bit of evidence relating to his stay in the convent orphanage.

When his superiors find out, McBain becomes the prime suspect in the case and has to make a decision which will leave him on the run and alone, trying to solve the murders and, at the same time, the puzzle of his past – a past that is pushing into the present with a recurring suffocating dream of blood and feathers that descends on him every night.

My Thoughts:

Blood Tears is the first book in a series to feature DI Ray McBain and his friend Kenny O’Neill who tends to be on the other side of the law. The story definitely features more on Ray than Kenny and I look forward to getting to know Kenny more as the series goes on.

Set in Glasgow you really get the whole Scottish vibe through out the book and had no trouble keeping up with the Scottish slang when used. It just adds to the authenticity and was trying my best to do a strong Scottish accent in my head, of which I have no doubt I failed miserably.

There is a certain amount of humor throughout the story which I think was needed as the story line is a very dark one. It touches on abuse of which is never an easy subject to read about but this has been handled very skillfully by the author. McBain’s own past leads to him dealing with demons and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough wanting to find out more.

There are actually a few stand out characters including McBain. It’s not often you get so many likable characters, not in a crime book anyway. Whilst not everyone is on McBain’s side, it was good to see that a couple of his colleagues believe in him and I loved the chemistry between them.

Blood Tears is a dark and gritty story that makes for some uncomfortable but entertaining reading. It’s certainly a good start to a new series and can’t wait to see what else is in store for McBain and his team. With lots to shock the reader, of which will keep you hooked, this is one you need to add to your TBR pile.

Blood Tears is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

I Thought I Knew You by Meg Buchanan @MegBuchanan80 @Books_n_all #GuestPost

August 18, 2018August 11, 2018 Sarah Hardy

I Thought I Knew You: Prelude Series – Part Four by Meg Buchanan

Luke Reilly’s whole life is mapped out. His father wants him to work in the family business. Tessa wants him to marry her. But he has already broken out of the straight jacket they’ve put him in. And he’s about to get found out.

Can he mend what he’s broken?

Does he want to?

Will he leave and chase the dream, or stay and do what everyone expects?

Universal link to book http://geni.us/bteuz

Books in the Prelude Series

OUT OF HIS LEAGUE (PRELUDE SERIES – BOOK 1): http://geni.us/UyD98MC
SONG FOR JESS (PRELUDE SERIES – BOOK 2): http://geni.us/ngkorAq
HIGHLY STRUNG (PRELUDE SERIES – BOOK 3): http://geni.us/2LcCF

I THOUGHT I KNEW YOU (PRELUDE SERIES – BOOK 4): http://geni.us/bteuz

PRELUDE SERIES- Rationale

The Prelude Series is contemporary romance, set in the world of music, musicians, music festivals and gigs.

The series started small, as a short story about Isaac who dreams of becoming a rock star. In the short story he’s part of the band Stadium. The band has five members, all mates and all serious musicians. Then I realised the other members of Stadium were interesting too and that the friendship between the boys, their relationship with each other and the females in their lives had a great dynamic. So the Prelude Series was born.

The series is made up of ten books and each book focusses on one member of Stadium as they start to take their music, their careers and the success of Stadium more and more seriously. The first five books are set in New Zealand and then the next five, after Stadium gets the big break they have been working towards, are set in Australia, London and New York.

The band members fight, argue and piss each other of, but they get over it. Loyalty and friendship hold them together, whatever happen. Each of them knows he can rely on the others, no matter what.

The first book, Out of his League, follows Cole, the drummer. He has just left school and found a job. Stadium has work in the weekends playing in a pub but they all still need to work. Cole works at a pretraining stable for racehorses. The story weaves relationship with Milly his boss’s daughter, together with his involvement with Stadium.

The second book in the series, is Song for Jess. This is Isaac and Jess’s story. Isaac decides he has to give up the rock star dream when he finds out Jess is pregnant. Then he finds away of juggling fatherhood and playing with Stadium. He starts writing their material and his Stadium gets fanbase.

The next in the series is, Highly Strung, Noah’s story. Noah is in relationship with Natalia his violin teacher and has been for the last five years. The relationship has reached a crisis point so Noah isn’t always there for the rest of Stadium. Isaac has written TrainWreck and they think the song will launch them and they get annoyed at Noah for letting them down a couple of times. He gets the message, he needs to decide what’s important to him.

In I Thought I Knew You, Luke, Stadium’s lead singer, is starting to question his choices. He’s working for his father as a builder. He’s starting to wonder if he wants to live in the town he’s always lived in, run his father’s business, and marry a girl he’s known all his life? Or does he want to try and make music his real career? The band has been together for three years now and are still playing at the pub in the weekends. They’ve had some success with Isaac’s latest number ‘Trainwreck’ but they haven’t made it big yet. And then they get offered their big chance. What will he choose to do?

The next six books are due to be released over the next year. They follow Cole, Isaac, Noah, Adam and Luke, now older and wiser as they work to make it as successful musicians.

Author Bio:

I live in Paeroa, a small town in New Zealand, with my husband and a black labrador. Most of my books are set in my home town, simply because it has a rich history, and the streets already have names, so do the rivers and the mountain nearby, and the neighbouring towns also have names, so I save time on world building.

I have been writing for seven years. Before that I was a teacher, then a kitchen designer, and for a year, the creator of resources for drug education. But now writing is what I do.

I love creating books about ordinary people doing interesting things. The characters in my story are just a little better looking and more charismatic than in real life, but they think and feel like normal people.

My books cover many genre, action adventure, scifi, historical fiction, and romance. Up until now you won’t find a vampire or werewolf in any them, but in the future, that can’t be completely ruled out.

I wrote Scavenger Hunt to enter it in a national competition, just to see if I could write. It won the competition and really it has all gone on from there.

LINKS

Facebook – https://en-gb.facebook.com/public/Meg-Buchanan

Twitter – @MegBuchanan80

A Holiday To Remember by Susanne O’Leary @bookouture @susl

August 17, 2018August 8, 2018 Sarah Hardy

Book Description:

A side-splittingly funny summer read about two best friends who decide to take a chance and travel the world, finding themselves – and finding love – along the way!

Until a few weeks ago, Leanne was a thirty-something who lived with her mother. And yes, she still slept under her Barbie bedspread.

Until recently, Maddy was married to a man whose golf club got more action than she did.

But not anymore.

Leanne and Maddy (and their miniature poodle Bridget) have packed their suitcases and bid goodbye to their dreary lives for the summer. After winding along Italy’s sun-dappled Adriatic Coast in a shiny red convertible, sailing around Croatia’s gorgeous Dalmatian Islands awaits them.

Days splashing around in sparkling turquoise waters and wine-fuelled nights under the stars are every girl’s dream. But with a devilishly handsome Italian on board, old flames to get over and holiday flings to contend with, there’s plenty of drama ahoy. One thing’s for certain, Leanne and Maddy’s trip promises to be a holiday to remember…

A joyful, laugh-out-loud and feel-good story that will make you want to pack your bags, set off on an adventure and live life to the max. Fans of Fiona Gibson, Lucy Diamond and Carole Matthews will love this hilarious and heartwarming read.

My Thoughts:

A Holiday To Remember features Leanne and Maddy who we are introduced to in the authors previous book, The Road Trip. I haven’t actually read The Road Trip and whilst this read fairly well as a stand alone, I would probably recommend reading in order.

The story has so many things that appealed to me. Friendship, travel, romance and I loved the blog aspect of the story line having a book blog myself. What a better way to see the world than to go with your best friend. You know the saying that friends know all your best stories but a best friend has lived them with you? Well this is so true when it comes to this story.

The places that Leanne and Maddy get to go I sadly haven’t had the opportunity to visit myself but it is very much brought to life in this book. The colours, sounds and smells, just leapt from the page into my mind, transporting me there. It felt like I was there alongside the characters sharing the experience with them.

A Holiday To Remember really is a feel good read which will make you pull up your big girl pants, grab your bestie and go and have some fun. The ideal book to accompany you on your holiday or if you need a pick me up as it certainly is a fun and entertaining read.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

A Holiday To Remember is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Author Bio:

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of fifteen novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre. She has been the wife of a diplomat (still is), a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a ramshackle house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties (including MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, featured in Full Irish), or keeping fit in the local gym, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.

Visit Susanne at her website, http://www.susanne-oleary.co.uk

or her blog, http://bit.ly/11F4e4S
Find her on Facebook, http://on.fb.me/1A2NAbr

and on Twitter, http://bit.ly/1rH67dK

Dark Pines by Will Dean @willrdean

August 16, 2018August 10, 2018 Sarah Hardy

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Book Description:

An isolated Swedish town.

A deaf reporter terrified of nature.

A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest.

A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.

It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.

My Thoughts:

After hearing so many good things about this book from my book friends, I knew I had to read it. As usual, they were right.

The setting really adds to the story line. Not only is it bitterly cold but it is also a small minded town with surrounding woodland. I didn’t envy Tuva at all investigating a recent murder, especially as a lot of the suspects were total weirdos. Honestly, you have to read this yourself. I felt uncomfortable when Tuva was in their presence never mind Tuva herself!

Tuava I loved. There is definitely more about her time in London I would love to find out more of but I’m sure this will come out further into the series. She has a lot on her plate with a dying mother and trying to get a break with a good story. She certainly stands out as a protagonist with her being deaf. It was great to see her perspective on things and will probably make people think twice before asking certain questions. I also loved how she seems to be a bit of a fan of wine gums, my favourite sweets.

Dark Pines held my attention throughout and has left me very much looking forward to more. It’s packed full of suspense and I was constantly second guessing at who the murderer could be. Totally had me shocked when we find out who it is and didn’t see it coming what so ever. A gripping and entertaining read.

Dark Pines is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Dying Breath by M.A. Comley @Melcom1

August 15, 2018July 31, 2018 Sarah Hardy

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Book Description:

Book five in the DI Kayli Bright series from NY Times bestselling author M A Comley with over 2 million copies sold worldwide.

She had everything…

Until she drew her dying breath.

DI Kayli Bright receives a disturbing call that she finds impossible to ignore. The case is an unusual one that forces her to dig deep to find the answers.

Was Jessica’s death a simple accident?

Or did she lose her life due to something far more sinister?

Can Kayli sift through the shocking deception she uncovers during the investigation to find the truth?

Grab this thriller today if you enjoy an intriguing mystery that will keep you turning the pages.

My Thoughts:

Kayli is back and working on a case which looks at first glance like it was an accident. I like how the author starts us off getting to know the victim as it makes the case more personal and I wanted justice as much as the victims family and the police.

The story centres more on the case with Kayli’s home life being very much in the background in this book. I did miss reading more about Mark but I think in this instance it worked better having less home life and concentrating on the case at hand.

I was so certain I knew the killer pretty much from the start. Of course the author was just toying with me so when all is revealed it certainly came as a big surprise. I should have known they would never make it that easy for me. Just as I thought I would make a killer investigator, those dreams were soon squashed as yet again the author had duped me. Oh well, will just keep enjoying being taken on a thrilling and surprising reading experience instead. Much more fun.

Dying Breath was a page turner of a read of where things are not as straight forward as they first appear. The author lures you into a false sense of security only to leave you reeling. I am really loving the book in the DI Kayli Bright series and I hope there are many more books in the series to come.

My thanks to the author for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

Dying Breath is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).