Blog Tour: Settlement by Anne Stormont

Today I'm on the blog tour for Settlement by Anne Stormont* with #LoveBooksGroupTours which is a fantastic read. I recently read the first in the series (although both books can be read as standalones - see my review of Displacement in my book round up last month HERE).

Can love truly heal old wounds? Can the past ever be put peacefully to rest? If you like a complex, grown-up romance with lots of raw emotion, dramatic and exotic settings, all mixed in with some international politics and laced with elements of a crime thriller, then this is the book for you. 

Falling in love is the easy bit. Happy ever after requires work, commitment and honesty. 

She wants him to be her friend and lover. He wants her as his wife. Can a compromise be reached? Or are things truly over between them? 

When former Edinburgh policeman Jack Baxter met crofter and author Rachel Campbell at her home on the Scottish island of Skye, they fell in love. It was a second chance at happiness for them both. 

But after Jack proposes marriage, it becomes clear they want different things. 

Then, as Rachel prepares to return to the Middle East to work on a peacemaking project that's close to her heart, and as Jack's past catches up with him, it seems their relationship is doomed. 

Can Rachel compromise on her need to maintain her hard-won independence? 

Can Jack survive the life-threatening situation in which he finds himself? 

Will they get the chance to put things right between them? 

Settlement is the sequel to literary romance novel, Displacement, but it can be read as a stand-alone. 

My thoughts?

Oh wow oh wow I just loved this! It was great to catch up with well loved characters and see where their lives were taking them.

Rachel is pleased to be with Jack but still wants her freedom to do what she pleases which he doesn't understand. There are things from the past Jack needs to work through but he doesn't want to tell or worry Rachel (and there is a good and loyal friend waiting in the wings for him, Morag's hubby, Alasdair).

She hopes she'll be able to reach her daughter and work through her feelings for her son. There's even signs that she can move on and forgive her ex-husband. 

When she heads back to Israel, Jack is beside himself as he thinks she'll want to have a relationship with charming and attractive Eitan, her brother's friend.  To take his mind off things he takes a investigator job with Police Scotland working on unsolved crimes. Rachel comes back to Scotland and her life on Skye and it seems like Jack's past has finally caught up with him...

An absolute brilliant read which I adored (I'm hoping against hope there will be a book #3).

*I received a complimentary e-copy for taking part in the blog tour

Blog Tour: Tell Nobody - DI Lottie Parker #5 by Patricia Gibney

Today I'm on the blog tour for the fabulous Tell Nobody - DI Lottie Parker #5 by Patricia Gibney*. I just adore this series (and Lottie).

The boy’s body was so white it was almost transparent. But that’s not what caused the nausea to rise up her throat. He was so young. His body was unmarked, surrounded by a halo of plucked wildflowers. 

One hot summer evening, eleven-year-old  Mikey Driscoll  is on the way home from playing with friends. Two days later, his body is discovered on a bed of wildflowers by some local teenagers. 

The case is assigned to  Detective Lottie Parker  and this time it’s personal. The victim was a close friend of her son,  Sean , from the run-down Munbally estate on the other side of town. Sean tells his mother Mikey was behaving normally before he died, but Lottie can’t help but feel that her son is keeping something from her… 

Then days later, another boy is found dead, surrounded by wild flowers next to beautiful Ladystown Lake. 

On the hunt for a twisted individual with a terrifying calling card, Lottie must uncover the web of secrets within Mikey’s circle of friends. Someone is hiding something but who are they protecting and can Lottie find out before it’s too late? Lottie is desperate to catch the killer before he strikes again because this time her own child could be in terrible danger… 

If you love Karin Slaughter, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love the latest heart-stopping thriller from Patricia Gibney. Tell Nobody will keep you guessing until the very last page.  

My thoughts?

I devoured this fast paced read over two days and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it!

The body of eleven year old Mikey Driscoll is found by local teenagers. Lottie Parker and the team are immediately on the case. Days later another local boy is found in similar circumstances also surrounded by wild flowers and the team are afraid they have may have a serial killer in their midst.

The team need to quickly find out who is killing these young boys and why. A newborn baby is also found dead by Lottie’s son Sean and his friend Barry.

I liked how things are developing between Lottie and Boyd. Kirby and Gilly also seem to be becoming romantically involved. There is also a stranger from America asking about Lottie who may someone connected with her past.

At home Lottie is counting the days till their new house is ready. Her mother Rose, while generously opening her home to them is seriously doing her head in. She can’t wait to have her own space again.

A late teens girl arrives at the garda station covered in blood and indicating she killed someone. Is she connected to the death of Mikey or what? As ever the pain that is Superintendent MacMahon is still trying to bring Lottie down.

A fast paced and thrilling read with some real heartache within its pages and a killer I never suspected! Brilliant!

*complimentary copy from the publisher via Netgalley

Blog Tour: After he Died by Michael J Malone

Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the fabulous After He Died by Michael J Malone*.

You need to know who your husband really was…When Paula Gadd’s husband of almost thirty years dies, just days away from the seventh anniversary of their son, Christopher’s death, her world falls apart. Grieving and bereft, she is stunned when a young woman approaches her at the funeral service, and slips something into her pocket. A note suggesting that Paula’s husband was not all that he seemed…

When the two women eventually meet, a series of revelations challenges everything Paula thought they knew, and it becomes immediately clear that both women’s lives are in very real danger.

Both a dark, twisty slice of domestic noir and taut, explosive psychological thriller, After He Died is also a chilling reminder that the people we trust the most can harbour the deadliest secrets…

My Thoughts?

WOW oh WOW this is the first book I've read by Michael J Malone and I'm sure it won't be my last. I loved this page turner and couldn't put it down. It's a really great fast paced and twisty read.

Paula looses her husband Thomas of 30 years quite suddenly and at the funeral is handed a note by a young woman. 

She's also still grieving the loss of their only son but decides to meet up with Cara, the girl who gave her the note and what she reveals makes Paula think she never really knew her husband at all. She decides along with Cara to investigate and they uncover a whole lot of things which could endanger their lives...

I loved the character of Father Joe, Thomas's brother the priest but found Paula's other brother-in-law and his wife cold and unforgiving. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next - it really is an edge of the seat read! When I thought I'd worked something out things would happen which would totally alter the way I thought the story was going. An absolutely brilliant read which I highly recommend. Loved it.

*copy sent by the publisher for review

Blog Tour: The Lion Tamer who Lost by Louise Beech

Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the fabulous The Lion Tamer who Lost by Louise Beech*.

Long ago Andrew made a childhood wish. One he has always kept in a silver box with a too-big lid that falls off. When it finally comes true, he wishes it hadn't...

Long ago Ben dreamed of going to Africa to volunteer at a lion reserve. When he finally goes there, it isn't for the reasons he imagined...

Ben and Andrew keep meeting where they least expect. Some collisions are by design, but are they for a reason? Ben's father would disown him for his relationship with Andrew, so they must hide their love. Andrew is determined to make it work, but secrets from his past threaten to ruin everything.

Ben escapes to Zimbabwe to finally fulfill his lifelong ambition. But will he ever return to England? To Andrew? To the truth? 

My thoughts?

This is my first Louise Beech novel and it totally stole my heart. 

Ben is in Zimbabwe at a lion reserve working as a volunteer - something he's wanted to do like..forever. His mum made him promise he'd do it at some point in his life just before she died. He's trying hard to forget Andrew who was ying to his yang and forges a friendship with one of his fellow co-workers. His favourite time of the day is at sunrise when the whole world is his.

The story is told from both Ben and Andrew's point of view. We learn of Ben's tolerance of his dad - his drinking and womanising and Andrew wishing he'd known his dad and also of Andrew's wish box with his hopes and dreams inside.

Ben met Andrew in the library at Uni and was completely and utterly drawn to him. He felt like he was "coming home". Chance meetings made him think they were meant to be regardless of what anyone thinks. It's a bittersweet tale of love, passion, life, friendship and heartache and I absolutely adored it.

*complimentary copy sent by the publisher

Blog Tour: Stitch Up by William McIntyre

Today I'm on the Blog Tour for Stitch Up* by William McIntyre the latest book in the Best Defence series and it's also publication day!

"Everything is coming up roses for Robbie Munro, newly married and living in the country with his wife and child. That is until his wife takes up employment abroad just as old flame, Jill Green asks him to investigate the unexplained death of her partner. Suspecting foul play, Jill insists Robbie turns poacher to gamekeeper and does whatever it takes to find the killer - with no expense spared. 

Another killer on the loose is child-murderer Ricky Hertz whose twenty-year-old conviction is under scrutiny. Was the evidence at his trial fabricated? Suspicion falls on Robbie's father who now faces a criminal prosecution. The only way to prove ex-Police Sergeant Alex Munro's innocence is for Robbie to show there was no miscarriage of justice".

My thoughts?

This is my first read of the series (I'll definitely be going back to read the others!) I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced and gripping read with interesting characters and storylines.

The story opens with Criminal Lawyer, Robbie Munro meeting up with old friend and acquaintance, Cammy Foster who is looking for some assistance. Ricky Hertz is getting out of prison after 18 years and Cammy is totally raging. Hertz killed three girls including his sister, whose body has never been found. He'd like to take matters into his own hands but Robbie warns him against it.

New evidence has been uncovered and the Counter Corruption Unit are looking into the case. Robbie's dad, Alex Munro was a Police Sergeant at the time and is being investigated. Some unexpected things happen which shed a whole new light on the case and could change everything..

Meanwhile, ex-girlfriend Jill wants Robbie to look at the suspicious death of her rich husband, Hercule Mercier who died suddenly in his suite at The Newberry.  Jill hands Robbie a large amount of cash to pay for his time although he and others believe it was suicide rather than murder. 

There are a few of twists near to the end which I didn't see coming (a couple of which I'm still thinking about now!) Would highly recommend this un-put-downable and fast-paced read.


*copy sent to me by the publisher