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The Hunted Girls - Jenna Kernan - Bookouture Blog Tour

5/28/2021

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Description:
Stumbling through the pitch-black forest, twigs scratching her bare feet, she sobs as she imagines her children crying for their mommy to put them to bed. By now everyone will know she is missing. Please, please let me find the way home. Before he comes back.

As Agent Nadine Finch rushes to investigate the murder of newlywed Nikki Darnell in Ocala National Forest, Florida, fear floods her body. She swore she’d never set foot here again, not since the case fifteen years ago which tore her life apart. But taking in the triangular cuts scarring Nikki’s perfect pale skin, she knows she must put her own traumatic past aside to find justice for Nikki’s inconsolable husband.

Discovering water in Nikki’s lungs, and certain the triangular wounds were made by arrowheads, Nadine must convince her team of her terrifying theory: that Nikki was hunted down and drowned before being left for them to find. But what monster would do such a thing? And why? Then another woman, a mother of two, is discovered in the woods, tell-tale arrow marks all over her body.

Recognizing the victim as a local waitress, Nadine fears the killer has started attacking women known to her. And the moment she traces the arrow heads to a nearby outdoors store, her own partner disappears.
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Frantic, Nadine follows the trail to a lonely cabin deep in the Florida wetlands where she finally learns the heart-stopping truth. To save one of her own, she must confront a deadly hunter obsessed with the case that’s haunted her whole career. Will Nadine have to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop him taking more innocent lives?

Jaw-dropping, packed with twists and turns, and impossible to put down until you reach the final page. Fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Gardner and Rachel Caine will be totally addicted to The Hunted Girls.
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My thoughts
Now this was an interesting book! I have to admit that I haven't read book 1 in the series (yet). I will definitely read it now that I have read book 2. While this is the second installment, you can absolutely read this as a standalone. The most fascinating part of book 2 for me was the fact that the team of investigators have one thing in common: they are all relatives of criminals, and I mean criminals of the worst kind...murderers! If I were Nadine, I would ask myself the same question: Do I have the "murderer trait" in my genes? Her and the other team members' inner conflict over this question was super interesting! This is a fantastically written page turner, action packed from the very first page. If you like books which start with extensive world and character building, you might have a bit of an issue with this one. But this novel focuses--just like many books in this genre--on action and mystery. If you like fast-paced thrillers, pick up a copy of this book and choose a day on which you can read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put this book down!!! That's how fast-paced and gripping it was. You just have to hold on to your seat, and, for Christ's sake, don't blink or you will miss something hahahaha. I loved not only the pace of this book, but also the characters. They drew me in with their interesting backgrounds, flaws, worries, etc. And the ending, y'all!!!! I was completely blown away by the last few chapters. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster I couldn't stop and that took my breath away! Hands down, one of the best psychological thrillers I've read lately!
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About the author:
Publishers Weekly bestselling author Jenna Kernan is a two-time RITA nominee and winner of the Book Buyers’ Best award. Prior to signing with Bookouture, she published over thirty novels including her popular APACHE PROTECTOR series, and is a member of numerous writing groups, including International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Florida Mystery Writers and Novelists, Inc. and frequently attends conferences on police procedure at the Writers Police Academy and MurderCon. Jenna currently lives on Florida’s Gulf Coast with her husband. A natural redhead, she has recently increased her sunblock to SPF 50.

https://www.jennakernan.com/
https://twitter.com/JennaKernan
Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 375
  • Publisher: Bookouture (June 1, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08ZVQG1VP
​Where to buy:
https://bit.ly/3orOyhr
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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The Secretary - Catherine Hokin - Bookouture Blog Tour

5/25/2021

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Description:
The Tower House. Down a secluded path, hidden by overgrown vines, the crumbling villa echoes with memories. Of the family who laughed and sang there, until the Nazis tore them from their home. And of the next woman to walk its empty rooms, whose courage in the face of evil could alter the course of history…

Germany 1940. As secretary to the leader of the SS, Magda spends her days sending party invitations to high-ranking Nazis, and her evenings distributing pamphlets for the resistance. But Magda is leading a dangerous double life, smuggling secrets out of the office. It’s a deadly game, and eventual exposure is a certainty, but Magda is driven by a need to keep the man she secretly loves safe as he fights against the Nazis…

Forty years later. Nina’s heart pounds as she steps into an uncertain future carrying a forged passport, a few bank notes, and a scribbled address for The Tower House taken from an intricate drawing she found hidden in her grandmother’s wardrobe. Separated from her family and betrayed by her country, Nina’s last hope is to trace her family’s history in the ruins of the past her grandmother ran from. But, when she finally finds the abandoned house, she opens the door to a forgotten story, and to secrets which will change everything: past, present, and future…
A poignant and gripping novel about bravery, loss and redemption during the Second World War. An unputdownable read for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.
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My thoughts
It took me a while to recover emotionally from this book! As many of you know, I was born in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), i.e., the Russian-occupied part of Germany. I was 14 when the Wall fell and the two Germanies reunited. 
The Secretary is written in two timelines. On the one hand, you have the World War II timeline and story of Magda and, on the other hand, you have Nina and her life in post-World War II East Germany until the revolution which resulted in the fall of the Iron Curtain (and the Wall in Germany). Catherine Hokin did her homework 100%. All the historical details regarding life and the historical events in the GDR are very accurate. If you want to know more about Germany during the Cold War, this book is a great start! I felt a close connection with Nina. My life was in part and could have easily ended up being entirely like her life. You see, my family was a family of Germans who refused to join the Communist party and who got into trouble with the regime on multiple occasions because of our resistance. My uncle and his wife spent many months in an East German jail for trying to escape to West Germany. We believe that my uncle's own father, my grandfather, ratted him out. My grandfather was a passionate supporter of the East German government and its policies. The rest of the family saw the system for what it was: a system in which the Nazis were replaced by a party who pretended to be a Communist party, but was actually a totalitarian system. If the Wall had not fallen back in 1989, I would not have a college degree now and I truly believe I would either be in a Russian gulag, German prison, or even dead right now. Just like Nina in the book, I made some jokes about the conditions in East Germany that the government officials did not find funny at all. Just like Nina, I could not just stand by when injustice occurred. That is what made this book such an emotional story for me. I have read many WWII stories, but the combination of a WWII story and a pre-1989 East German story made me super nostalgic, extremely emotional, overwhelmed me at times, and resulted in me taking a little longer to finish the book because I had to take breaks to process what I had just read. Magda's story didn't make it any easier for me to finish the book. The gripping story of her bravery and loss added another level of emotions for me. I had to stop multiple times since I was reading in public and didn't want to break down in tears in front of strangers over a book. If you haven't experienced this part of history yourself, you may not be quite as emotionally attached to the characters, but you will definitely feel all kinds of emotions when reading this book! If I could, I would give this book more than 5 stars on Goodreads!
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About the author:

Catherine Hokin is the author of two World War Two inspired novels set in Berlin, her favourite city. Following a History degree at Manchester University she worked in teaching, marketing and politics, while waiting for a chance to do what she really wanted which was to write full time. Her short stories have been published by iScot, Writers Forum and Myslexia magazines and she was the winner of the 2019 Fiction 500 Short Story Competition. She is a lover of strong female leads and a quest.
Catherine now lives in Glasgow with her American husband. She has two grown-up children – one of whom lives, very conveniently, in Berlin – and a life long addiction to very loud music.


https://www.catherinehokin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/cathokin/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
https://twitter.com/cathokin
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Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 354
  • Publisher: Bookouture (May 24, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08XW6QGW2
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/2Rjk594
Apple: https://apple.co/3e3JVa5
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3q9hmKL
Google: https://bit.ly/3bbcEYY
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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The Tuscan House - Angela Petch - Bookouture Blog Tour

4/10/2021

1 Comment

 
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​Description:
Corbello, Italy, 1947. A woman and a little boy stagger into the ruins of an old house deep in the forest, wild roses overwhelming the crumbling terracotta walls. Since the war, nowhere has been safe. But they both freeze in shock when a voice calls out from the shadows…

For young mother Fosca Sentino, accepting refuge from reluctant British war hero Richard – in Tuscany to escape his tragic past – is the only way to keep her little family safe. She once risked everything to spy on Nazi commanders and pass secret information to the resistenza. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, Fosca’s best friend Simonetta disappeared without trace. The whole community was torn apart, and now Fosca and her son are outcasts.

Wary of this handsome stranger at first, Fosca slowly starts to feel safe as she watches him play with her son in the overgrown orchard. But her fragile peace is shattered the moment a silver brooch is found in the garden, and she recognises it as Simonetta’s…

Fosca has always suspected that another member of the resistenza betrayed her. With Richard by her side, she must find out if Simonetta is still alive, and clear her own name. But how did the brooch end up at the house? And with a traitor hiding in the village, willing to do anything to keep this secret buried, has Fosca put herself and her young son in terrible danger?

An absolutely gripping and heartbreaking page-turner that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, The Nightingale, and anyone longing to lose themselves in the mountain landscapes and olive groves of rural Tuscany.
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My thoughts
Wow!!!! There are many World War II novels on the market and each time I think there is no way anyone can come up with something unique that hasn't been used as a storyline before. This book proved me wrong! I would consider this book a cross genre novel: historical WWII fiction meets mystery/suspense. The characters are fantastic and THANK YOU, Angela Petch, that the book didn't have any "InstaLove" romance in it. That drives me crazy in a lot novels listed as romance and the reason I'm steering clear of romance as much as a vampire does with garlic or silver bullets. This book didn't only have slow burn romance, but also so many other different elements in it: you have the typical WWII resistance element, the romantic elements I just mentioned, a murder mystery, a single mom trying to find answers, a soldier who seems to keep running away from his past (the typical anti-hero), and also elements of a travel journal. Tuscany is the perfect setting for this novel and look at that cover!!!! I would have read this book simply because of the cover!!! From my own experience I can tell you that Tuscany is just as pretty as shown on this cover! The characters come to life in this novel and the plot is believable. I loved how I had to wait almost until the end of the book to find out what really happened to Simonetta. I loved slowing putting together the puzzle. This was my first novel by this author and it will definitely not be my last.
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About the author:
I’m an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.
Every summer I move to Tuscany for six months where my husband and I own a renovated watermill which we let out. When not exploring our unspoilt corner of the Apennines, I disappear to my writing desk at the top of our converted stable.
In my Italian handbag or hiking rucksack I always make sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.
The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of our family live. When I’m not helping out with grandchildren, I catch up with writer friends.
​https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch
​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 400
  • Publisher: Bookouture (April 7, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08XY49QXY
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/31wEgSJ
Apple: https://apple.co/3uPJlCS
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3qi9V3Y
Google: https://bit.ly/2O6S574
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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1 Comment

The Museum Murder - Katie Gayle - Bookouture Blog Tour

4/1/2021

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Description:
Dastardly deeds, daring deceptions and a dress to die for… Epiphany Bloom is back on the case!

Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom, would-be detective and London’s unluckiest woman, finds herself in a real costume drama when she unearths a theft at a fashion museum.

The missing dress is a proper piece of Hollywood history, worth a fortune. And as Pip investigates, she finds the museum staff all had reasons to want the garment gone. From fancy boutiques to sketchy back alleys, Pip discovers the fashion world is not all glitz and glamour as she hunts down her prize.

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Pip also has her growing feelings for her housemate Tim to contend with, a family of cats to feed and her mother keeps phoning about a shipment of llamas arriving any day now from South America.

But there’s no time for distractions because Pip’s not the only one after the dress. And for the most dedicated collectors, a piece like this is worth any price – even murder…

A laugh-out-loud, light-hearted cozy mystery for fans of M.C. Beaton, T.E. Kinsey and Joanne Fluke, that will have you reading late into the night.
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My thoughts
Aaaaaaahhh, one of my favorite morally grey characters is back at it!! This time Pip goes pop culture, trying to find the iconic dress worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Yes, the red off-the-shoulder dress with the white long gloves Vivian wears to the opera on her date with Edward. Once again, Pip puts her sleuth skills to work and once again she is a walking disaster (albeit not quite as bad as in the first book). Struggling in her work life, she finds a job she might actually finally keep for a longer period of time. If you know Pip from the previous books, you know that she gets in trouble a lot in her professional life. Her sexy housemate Tim appears in the book again and helps her with his hacker skills. I loved seeing that Pip and Tim finally seem to get to "base 2" in their relationship. There is more to their relationship, whether they like to admit it or not. Pip's sister with her mad skills of using the wrong idioms which make her super funny makes a cameo as well. Those three make this book just as good as the previous one. If you expect a 100% realistic book, you may be in for a slight disappointment. But if you are all for an entertaining story in which the characters are just a bit too over the top to be quite from the real world and love the 1990s, you should give this book a try. There are lots of pop culture and movie references and of course the book also includes a murder, as the title suggests. This book is a quick and fun cozy mystery novel set in London!
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About the authors:
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.
 
https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter
https://twitter.com/KatieGayleBooks
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​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 260
  • Publisher: Bookouture (March 31, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08PPVZ6QP
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3chaM1l
Apple: https://apple.co/3qzldlV
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3mTY1MV
Google: https://bit.ly/33QqdsO
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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0 Comments

Not Without My Sister - Marion Kummerow - Bookouture Blog Tour

3/25/2021

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Description: 
1944, Germany. Two sisters seek to overcome impossible odds to be reunited, in this utterly devastating and unforgettable novel about sisterhood, courage and survival.

All they had left was each other. Until the Nazis tore them apart.

After years of hiding from the Nazis, Rachel Epstein and her little sister Mindel are captured by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. The only ray of light for either girl is that they are together.

But on arrival they are separated. As she’s seventeen and deemed an adult, Rachel is sent to work in a brutal factory whilst four-year-old Mindel is sent into the so-called “star” camp for Jewish prisoners. All on her own, Rachel knows her sister will have no chance of survival—unless she can find someone to take care of her.

Working in the windowless, airless factory—filling munitions casings with chemicals that burn her fingers and make her eyes sting—the only thing that keeps Rachel going is the thought of her little sister. Because if there’s even a chance Mindel is alive, Rachel knows she must try to save her.
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But, separated by barbed wire, and treated brutally by SS guards who do not even see them as human beings, can either of the orphaned sisters ever dare to hope that they’ll find their way back to each other? And to freedom?

A completely heartbreaking, utterly gripping tale of courage, loss and overcoming impossible odds, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Ragged Edge of Night and The Orphan’s Tale.
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My thoughts
Just like me, Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany. So, it was very interesting for me to read a WWII book in English that is not a translation. The author got her inspiration for this book during a trip she took to the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp in Lower Saxony, Germany, where the pictures of the children who suffered in the concentration camp caught her eye. One picture in particular inspired her to create the character of 4-year-old Mindel in this story and her 17-year-old sister Rachel. Here is a link to the picture: kummerow.info/bergen-belsen-concentration-camp. The story is told from the perspectives of these two amazing girls who get separated but refuse to give up hope of reuniting. The author goes back and forth between the girls' POVs. It was great to read Mindel's POV. I'm usually not a fan of books written from a child's perspective--let alone from the perspective of such a young child. Oftentimes, the characters are annoying. Not in this book! The author brings across the age-appropriate perspective but she does so without using very childish language. When reading the story, you can tell that the girl is still very young but the wording used is "easy on the brain." The entire character-driven story reminded me a lot of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" (another excellent book by the way). It was fantastic to see the war and the horrendous Nazi crimes through the eyes of a 4-year-old. I did in particular like Mindel's relationship with her best friend Laszlo. The author definitely did her research. This book is one of those very realistic historical fiction books. You can feel what the characters feel, you can picture yourself at the camp, and some of the characters we meet in the book seem to be inspired by real people, e.g., she mentions Anne Frank. The character seem familiar without retelling stories we've read about in other novels or accounts of true events in non-fiction literature. If you love WWII historical fiction, I'm 100% sure you will like this book!
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About the author:
Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.
Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.
https://kummerow.info/
https://www.facebook.com/AutorinKummerow/
https://twitter.com/MarionKummerow
​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 259
  • Publisher: Bookouture (March 25, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN (ebook): B08QSDHH41
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08QSDHH41social
Apple: https://apple.co/3mqOnQZ
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3gSgHdU
Google: https://bit.ly/34knyrf
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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Mystery by the Sea by Verity Bright - Bookouture Blog Tour

3/14/2021

1 Comment

 
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About the author(s):
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
https://twitter.com/BrightVerity
Description:
​A magnificent seaside hotel, striped deckchairs, strawberry ice cream… and a rather familiar dead body? Lady Swift is on the case!

Spring, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, explorer extraordinaire and accidental sleuth, hasn’t had a vacation since she arrived in England a year ago. Being an amateur detective can be a rather tiring business and she is determined to escape any more murder and mysteries. So she books into the Grand Hotel in the fashionable resort of Brighton for some fresh air, fish and chips and, of course, a dip in the ocean.

Eleanor is enjoying her view of the waves and trying to find her bathing suit when calamity strikes: a guest has been found dead at her beautiful hotel. The distraught manager, who can’t afford a scandal, asks Eleanor to solve the case as swiftly as possible. Thank goodness she has her partner in crime – Gladstone the bulldog – to help her sniff out the dastardly culprit.

But when Eleanor enters the dead man’s room, she receives a shock big enough to make her forget even the finest ice cream sundae. The body is that of her husband, who supposedly died six years ago on the other side of the world. Has he been alive all these years? Why does he have a copy of their wedding photograph with a cryptic message written on the back? If Eleanor can keep herself safe long enough to find her husband’s killer, she might discover that everything is not quite as it seems beside the seaside…

A warm and witty whodunnit! Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and L.B. Hathaway will be utterly charmed by this addictive and absolutely gripping page-turner.
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My thoughts
Aaaaaahhh, they did it again!!!!!! Verity Bright's latest cozy mystery "Mystery by the Sea" is book 5 in the series and--just like the other books in the series--didn't disappoint! I had a blast being a little fly on the wall watching Lady Eleanor and her loyal butler Clifford solve another mystery. This time, the case hits closer to home than Lady Eleanor had expected. The murder victim is her own husband who she thought was dead. Well, now he is for sure...but for the last six years, he had been very much alive. A witty, fierce, yet charming Lady E combined with a wonderful portrayal of 1920s Brighton made this a super fun read. Escapism at its finest!!! Lady E is definitely a younger version of Miss Marple. So, if you like Agatha Christie, I am willing to bet everything I have that you will like this series! To me, it feels like butler Clifford is to Lady E what Dr. Watson is to Sherlock Holmes. He is so charmingly British and just as loyal to Eleanor as Dr. Watson is to Sherlock. The only thing I was missing a bit in this book was the sweet relationship Lady E has with Detective Seldon. He did appear in this book, but was more of a supporting character. I love their dynamic and I was sad that I didn't get to read more dialogue between the two. However, Clifford was definitely a wonderful sidekick in book 5. I can't wait to see what other adventures these two will go on.
There is one thing that really made me swoon...Lady E is not only a lady who defies convention at home in England, she is also a well-traveled archaeologist. Since I'm someone who always wanted to be one and who eats up every documentary about archeology and mummification and being a little rebel myself, Lady E is a girl after my own heart. Now on to your next adventure, Lady E...we need you to solve a lot more cases!
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​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 307
  • Publisher: Bookouture (March 11, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBM (ebook): B08P4Y71JX
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3bh7omG
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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1 Comment

The Girl from Berlin by Kate Hewitt - Bookouture Blog Tour

2/27/2021

0 Comments

 
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Description:
​1936, Nazi-ruled Berlin. A heartbreaking and stunningly powerful novel of friendship, courage and betrayal, about two girls whose lives collide in war-torn Berlin, and whose friendship is the only thing that might get them out alive.

They sat together on the roof, watching Berlin burn, as traces of smoke and cloud floated through the air. “I just want to be free,” Rosa said quietly, “Even if only for a few minutes. It might be the last chance I have.”

From her beautiful new home in Berlin, a young woman named Liesel Scholz barely notices the changes to the city around her. Her life is one of privilege and safety thanks to her father’s job working for the new government.

But a chance encounter with Rosa, the daughter of their Jewish housekeeper, confirms Liesel’s fears that something isn’t right. That the Nazi government’s brutal rules are cruel and dangerous, and that others aren’t as safe as she is. When Rosa begs Liesel to help—pressing her grandfather’s gold pocket watch into Liesel’s hand—Liesel recklessly agrees.
She will help hide Rosa and her loved ones—in the dusty, unused rooms at the top of their house—even if it means putting everyone she loves in danger. Even if it means risking her own life.

Frankfurt, 1946: An idealistic American captain, Sam Houghton, arrives in Germany to interrogate prominent Nazis on trial and to help rebuild a battered country. When he hires an enigmatic, damaged interpreter named Anna, he doesn’t expect sparks to fly between them. Perhaps there is a chance of love for both of them. But then the question of what happened to Anna in the war raises its head.

Because Anna has secrets—ones that link her to Berlin, the Nazi party, and the story of one gold pocket watch and two young women who became friends, even when they were told it was impossible…

A compelling and haunting story about courage, love and betrayal set in war-torn Berlin. Fans of The Alice Network, All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale will be not be able to put this down.
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My thoughts
After reading the description, you probably think "Oh my, another one of those WWII novels." That is exactly what I thought at first before starting the book. The Girl from Berlin may have the same setting, but this book is hauntingly wonderful! It didn't quite make me cry as much as much as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah did; however, the book broke my heart over and over again throughout the chapters. I love that this book tells the story in two timelines. At first, you jump between the late 1930s/early 1940s and the post-WWII months which helps unravel the entire big picture step-by-step. I love books that give us bits and pieces here and there, like little clues in a murder mystery, and make you keep wondering how these pieces will eventually fit together. The book ends in a climax in 1946 with a shocking twist in the epilogue.

But what I love most about this book is that Kate Hewitt follows the characters in a super realistic manner through morally grey decisions, danger, secrets, doubt, family drama, etc. The Scholz family is a quilt of all the different facets of German character during WWII, we have rebelliousness, ignoring, resilience despite the circumstances, a character who goes from criticizing and not identifying with the Nazis to a complacent follower all because of (deadly) ambition, as well as surrender and capitulation. It is as if the author took one representative of each of the groups of Germans and brought them together in this one family. This makes for a gut-wrenching, mind-blowing family dynamic. 

Great job, Kate Hewitt!!!! This was my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last one! 
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About the author:
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.

https://www.kate-hewitt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KateHewittAuthor/
https://twitter.com/author_kate
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​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 447
  • Publisher: Bookouture (February 25, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBM (ebook): B08QPZG2G3
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3s880jM
Apple: https://apple.co/34yRQqH
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3oUc1XG
Google: https://bit.ly/38h7p7r
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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The Blame by Kerry Wilkinson - Bookouture Blog Tour

2/21/2021

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Wow, what a book!!! First though, I have to say congratulations to Kerry Wilkinson...this is his 30th book published by Bookouture--which is the most titles Bookouture has ever released by one author! *stands up and claps like crazy* :-p You can read all about it here!

This time, I'm starting my review with a brief synopsis before telling you my thoughts. So, here it goes:

Paige, Richard and me. We thought we’d be friends forever. But everything changed the day we took the short cut home from school along the old railway line. I wish we’d gone the long way. I wish we hadn’t seen our classmate, pale and still in the undergrowth. And I wish we hadn’t promised to keep one, awful detail a secret just between us…

Twenty years later, I have a brand-new life, and try never to think about my old one. But I’m dragged back when Paige calls out of the blue. Richard has been accused of something terrible. Everyone back home is whispering about the body we found years ago, and saying Richard deserves to be locked up…
Before I know it, I’ve returned to the small town I thought I’d never see again. Paige is almost the same as I remember – jet-black hair, slender frame – but why does she seem so nervous?
Revealing the truth about what we saw that day twenty years ago could clear Richard’s name… but will the blame fall on me? And can I really trust that Paige is on my side – or is she hiding her own dark secret?
When we find a strange note in Richard’s flat, only one thing is for certain: someone else knows the truth too. All three of us are in danger…

A totally addictive read by bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson about how the secrets from our past will always come back to haunt us. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, I Am Watching You and The Girl on the Train.
My thoughts
If you know me or have been following my blog, you know that I'm a sucker for a great murder mystery. You may also know that I simply cannot resist a book which has a morally grey character. This book, y'all, is dripping with morally grey personalities. In this book, even the secrets have secrets! (Yes, I totally stole that quote from The Avengers, bite me! lol). So, it is not surprising that this book deals with all kinds of issues and dysfunctional relationships: from murder, bullying, addiction to being homophobic, having gambling problems, and so much more! I was surprised that Kerry Wilkinson was able to fit all of that into the book and it still all makes sense. 

The book starts with our narrator in Canada. We know after the first couple of chapters that he chose this place to live because it is faaaaar away from his past. But as they say: You can take the boy out of the small town, but you can't take the small town out of the boy. So it is not surprising that his past finds him and for various reasons--which we later learn about--he returns to the place where he spent his childhood. And that is where the crazy events begin.

I have to admit that the description for the book is a bit misleading, but then again, there is no way the author could have written it any differently without any spoilers. There was just so much going on. I'm sure the description of the book took longer to write than the book itself. It is really hard to summarize a book in only a few words if said book is all about character building, finding secrets, and still trying to not get sucked into the events that happened recently and twenty years ago. 

My favorite part of course was that the MCs took me on their hunt for clues and answers. Picture me with my Sherlock Holmes hat, violin, and pipe hehehehe. Another thing that I really loved about the book was that we get to read all the newspaper articles about the cases.

Kerry Wilkinson takes you on a murder hunt, but he does so in quite an interesting way. We swing back and forth between clues, the new case, the old case, and in between we get a lot of character building. By the end of the book you feel as if you know all about the characters. You may think that this would make it easy to guess what exactly happen. Well, you would be wrong!!! The ending feels like a Chitauri army got nuked inside your brain--yes, that is absolutely another Avengers reference. For those who don't know much about the Avengers (which is wrong on so many levels, seriously lol), a Chitauri army getting nuked inside your brain is a crazy messy thing. It's as if someone blows your mind, but like 10000% bigger. So yeah, that ending left me with my jaw dropped and speechless, which is actually something that not everyone manages because I loved to talk. There ya have it, my thoughts on this book. Now get up off that sofa and buy a copy. 
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About the author:
Kerry Wilkinson is from the English county of Somerset but has spent far too long living in the north. It’s there that he’s picked up possibly made-up regional words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’. He pretends to know what they mean.
He’s also been busy since turning thirty: his Jessica Daniel crime series has sold more than a million copies in the UK; he has written a fantasy-adventure trilogy for young adults; a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter and the standalone thriller, Down Among The Dead Men.
https://kerrywilkinson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks/
https://twitter.com/kerrywk
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​Product details:
  • ​Pages (ebook): 317
  • Publisher: Bookouture (February 19, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBM (ebook): B08TM4D498
​Where to buy:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pcxzyj
Apple: https://apple.co/2Y25VsY
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3sUJd4e
Google: https://bit.ly/3sMcBJD
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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Gone Too Soon - Bookouture Blog Tour

2/17/2021

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Have you ever wondered how it would feel to meet the recipients of your loved one's organs? Heavy question triggering lots of emotions, huh? I have wondered this many times, even more so after watching this video you can find on here on YouTube (see image on the right) and being a mom of twin boys who grew their wings before they were born, but who also may have saved
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other families from the grief I went through because their loved one received our baby boys' organs. This is exactly what Alex experiences when he suddenly loses the love of his life in "Gone Too Soon," a gripping, powerful and emotional page turner by million-copy bestselling author Dani Atkins. After reading the synopsis, I knew this would be another tearjerker and touch me at a very personal level! What I didn't expect was to be as deeply moved and emotionally invested in the characters as I ended up being. So, let me tell you about this book!
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Alex crossed to the bed, where the only woman he had ever loved lay immobile. There was an ugly dark bruise along her jaw, but far more shocking was the plastic breathing tube protruding from between the lips he’d kissed only hours earlier. Despair and fear rose in Alex’s throat. 'We have a little boy. His name is Connor. He still needs his mother… We both do.'

When Lisa married Alex, she gave his life meaning. She was a professional astronomer: a stargazer. And when she gazed at Alex, she saw that behind his tough exterior was a man she could love.

Alex, Lisa and their young son Connor made a happy little universe. But then Lisa dies in a train crash, and their perfect world is destroyed. Alex is shattered by loss, and overwhelmed by the difficulties of being a single father to a six-year-old. How can he and Connor carry on without Lisa lighting up their lives?

But throughout her life Lisa touched the hearts of more people than just her family. And as those people whose fates were changed come forward after her tragic death, Alex hears their stories and begins to realise the world may not be as cruel and senseless as it seems. If you can find the strength to start over, there are new beginnings in even our most heartbreaking moments…
I promise: If you love authors Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, or Kate Hewitt, you will love this book!

What I really loved about this book is that you don't only get to read the story from the perspective of Alex and the recipient's of Lisa's organs, but the book also includes Lisa's POV before her passing. That made the book even more powerful for me. I felt like I got to know Lisa a bit and before I could even get to know her more, she is ripped from this world. What follows is a heartwarming, yet at the same time heart-breaking story of Lisa's husband Alex who is now left behind with their six-year-old son. How do you as a parent explain to your son that his mommy is not coming back? How do you move on when you lose the person you loved more than life itself? And how much would it turn your life upside down when you meet those who have a life because your loved one lost hers? It is hard to put into words how this book made me feel. It is one of those things that you have to experience yourself to understand the depth of the events. You have to read the book to understand how invested you can get in the characters, ALL characters in this story: Alex, his son, and those who received his wife's organs. 

But this book is not a downer. While it pulls on your heartstrings and you can feel the doubts rising in Alex if it was a good idea to contact the donors, it is also full of hope for the future, full of hope that somehow life goes on and you find closure. They say that time heals all wounds. From my personal perspective, I can say that this is true, but there will always be a scar. Alex and Connor (his son) have my deepest sympathy. I just want to hug them! Thank you, Dani Atkins, for letting me be a part of Alex' walk down memory lane to meet Lisa and understand how deeply she impacted everyone's life.
About the author:

​Dani Atkins is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut THEN AND ALWAYS (published as FRACTURED in the UK) has been translated into seventeen languages and has sold more than half a million copies globally.
 
Dani is the author of five other bestselling novels (THE STORY OF US, OUR SONG, THIS LOVE, WHILE I WAS SLEEPING and A MILLION DREAMS) and PERFECT STRANGERS, a standalone eBook novella. In 2018, THIS LOVE won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award at the RNA awards in London.
Dani lives in a small village in the English countryside, in a 300 year old cottage, with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.
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Photo courtesy of the author!
https://www.facebook.com/DaniAtkinsAuthor/
https://twitter.com/AtkinsDani
​Product details:
  • ​Pages (print): 388
  • Publisher: Bookouture (February 17, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ISBM (paperback): 978-1800195134
Where to buy:
​bit.ly/2YSF7fb
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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Warning, warning ... this one is a tearjerker!!! Do not open if you don't like crying your way through a book!!! - BLOG TOUR

1/31/2021

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I have a confession to make: At first, the book didn't draw me in at all and I can't even say why. The character building was great, the writing fantastic--yet, I didn't feel any connection with the characters like I normally do when I read books like this one. But then, OMG, it hit me like a sledgehammer!!! But first things first, you probably have no clue what this book is about. The title doesn't give too many clues other than that there is a secret. So, here is a brief synopsis:

‘They told me he died, but I never believed them. I’d have known,’ she says, her voice little more than a whisper and her eyes searching mine. ‘A mother would know if her child died, wouldn’t she?’
​The phone call comes in the middle of the night, rousing Danni from her safe, warm bed. The police have found her mother Diana wandering miles from her house, confused and lost. Danni races to her mother’s side – and as usual, Diana doesn’t seem to want her there. But when Danni finds out that her mother is seriously ill, she decides to put the past behind her, and care for her mother in the time they have left.
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But as some of Diana’s memories are slipping away, others are forcing their way to the surface. One night she breaks down and reveals that before Danni was born, she had another baby who never got to see the world. Faced with her mother’s heartbreak, Danni vows to do everything she can to bring Diana some peace, hoping that it will mend their fractured relationship too.

Yet as Danni investigates the past, tracking down the aunt she’s never met and searching for her lost brother’s resting place, her good intentions have unexpected consequences as more truths emerge. And there’s one shocking revelation which could change Danni’s life forever. Are some secrets best left buried?

A completely heartbreaking and compelling story of families, secrets, and the fierce love between mothers and children. Fans of Amanda Prowse, Ali Mercer and Jodi Picoult will smile through their tears.
Now that you have a bit of an idea, I can tell you my thoughts:
In the beginning, I didn't care too much for the mom, Diana. She seemed cold-hearted, is mean to her daughter Danni, and is overall rude and not very likable. The mental illness makes her negative vibes even worse. She also seems to love her son more than her daughter. Diana--whether unintentionally or intentionally--always says the wrong things...stabs into the heart of Danni. As the book progresses, we find out the reasons for this rude and hurtful behavior. Does that excuse what Diane does to Danni? Noooo!!! But it definitely explains it. The more details come to light about the events many decades ago, the more your heart starts hurting for everyone involved, including and in particular Diana. And just when you thought the dagger in your heart couldn't do any more damage, the author takes it and turns it around in the wound! Seriously, I cried my way through the last quarter of the book! At some point during that last quarter I wanted to hug Diana, take her hand, and tell her that the heartbreak she experienced at the hands of her own family was over and that everything would be ok now. But was it ok? Once again, you think you have heard it all and it can't get any more heartbreaking, and then you witness yet another tragic event! I felt so empty after reading this book. I had to give my kids an extra tight hug that night and told them that I love them with all my heart. Fantastic book!!!
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About the author:
Julia was born in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, and began her career as a professional singer/dancer. This enabled her to travel the world in her late teens storing up experiences she has since included in her writing.
 
Following roles as a hostess on The Price is Right and a member of the Beadle’s About ‘hit squad’ in the 1980s, she became a TV Presenter and filmed features for Sky Sports before launching the QVC shopping channel in 1993 where she still presents today. Having always wanted to write, she penned her first book, a memoir sold on QVC, in 2013 and has since written seven full length novels, two novellas and several short stories.
http://www.juliarobertsauthor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JuliaRobertsTV
https://www.instagram.com/juliagroberts/
https://twitter.com/JuliaRobertsTV
Product details:
  • File Size: 1420 KB for ebook
  • Pages (print): 288
  • Publisher: Bookouture (January 27, 2021)
  • Language: English
  • ASIN (ebook): B08LPXWKK4
Where to buy:
​Amazon: http://bit.ly/2LH9ulH
Apple: http://apple.co/3ouYEO7
Kobo: http://bit.ly/3kyyt6T
Google: http://bit.ly/3os5GTX
My blog post is one of many as part of a blog tour. For more thoughts on this particular book, check out the other blog tour participants' blogs and show them some love!!
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    This part of my blog is all about books and reading! I believe in reading aloud to my kids and being creative with books (e.g., in the form of Bible journaling). 
    My goal for 2021 is --just as in 2020-- to continue to minimize my electronics time (mindless TV watching, binge-watching shows on Netflix, game apps, social media scrolling). Instead, I will continue to replace those hours with reading challenges, audiobooks, and reading time with my kids. 

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