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I post book reviews as often as possible but at least once a week every Wednesday! I hope they help you to find some new books that you'll love as much as I did!
 Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea! Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour. And don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis Jón Eiríksson buried one wife this year. How long before he buries a second? 1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS. Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders. But Rósa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies. The villagers mistrust them both. Dark threats are whispered. There is an evil here - Rósa can feel it. Is it her husband, the villagers - or the land itself? Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . . My Review The Glass Woman is quite simply an absolutely stunning read. Despite the beautiful cover, it’s probably not the kind of book I would usually be drawn to straight away, as I tend to choose something in a more contemporary setting, but when I got invited to the blog tour and I read the synopsis I thought it looked brilliant - and gosh was I right or what! By the opening few pages, Lea had ensured that I wouldn’t be putting The Glass Woman down any time soon, by instantly drawing me into the extremely atmospheric setting she created. I have no personal experience of Iceland but I could picture every detail. I remained completely engrossed for the entirety of my train journey, and even managed to ignore someone’s music playing loudly through their headphones! I finished the book in just 2 days and its grip on me didn’t falter once. It’s really well paced and expertly creates intrigue and a growing sense of foreboding as the story progresses. The characters are unique and fascinating to read. All of them are well-developed and explored, allowing me to feel really strongly what they were all experiencing - especially Rósa. The ending is beautiful, moving and absolutely brilliant. It’s so well written and felt really right. Overall, I’m giving The Glass Woman 4.5 out of 5. It’s dark, emotive and compelling. A beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable read. *Just a brief word of warning to those who are slightly squeamish, the later parts of the book can be a little graphic in places, so do be prepared for that. It’s definitely bearable and worthwhile though, so please don’t let that stop you reading it!* This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. The above is an affiliate link. About the AuthorCaroline Lea grew up in Jersey and gained a First in English Literature and Creative Writing from Warwick University, where she now teaches writing. Her fiction and poetry have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize.
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The Synopsis An uninvited guest. A missing identity. A trail of deadly secrets. When a horrified bridesmaid finds the body of a young woman at a wedding reception, it makes the bride and groom’s choice of a Saints and Sinners theme all the more macabre. There are no means of identification and nobody knows the victim. The bride is convinced someone is trying to sabotage her big day. The groom is sure it’s a dreadful mistake. It’s up to brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis to uncover the truth. They have a hundred guests to question, and a strong suspicion that the motive for murder is personal… The party’s over – and the hunt for the killer is on. My Review The Wedding Guest is part of the Alex Delaware series, of which there have been many, many books. But don’t let that put you off if you haven’t read any of them before. I’d only read one book by Jonathan Kellerman previously which was one co-written with Jesse Kellerman and wasn’t in the Alex Delaware series. Despite this, I was able to slot right in to the series and I didn’t feel as though there was anything I couldn’t follow as a result of not picking up on a reference to a previous book. I do think that it would be beneficial to the understanding of Delaware and his relationships to read one or two of the previous books, but it’s definitely not a necessity before reading this one. Alex is a great central character and I really enjoyed his witty comments and psychological insights, as well as his relationship with Milo. The writing style was very different to that of other books I’ve read recently, but once I got into it, I enjoyed the unique way the book was written and found that it made the story much more memorable. As the book progressed I found myself drawn into it more and more and I really enjoyed how everything unfolded. I didn’t guess the end and it left me wanting to read the next Alex Delaware book already! Overall, I’m giving The Wedding Guest 4 out of 5! It’s well-paced, twisty and intriguing. I’m really looking forward to reading more by Jonathan Kellerman! This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorJonathan Kellerman is the Number One New York Times bestselling author of more than forty crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher's Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer's Daughter.
With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored Crime Scene, The Golem of Hollywood, and The Golem of Paris. He is also the author of two children's books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California, New Mexico, and New York.  The Synopsis In a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman is the greatest risk of all . . . Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married, and pregnant for the fourth time. But as the mistress at Gawthorpe Hall, she still has no living child, and her husband Richard is anxious for an heir. When Fleetwood finds a letter she isn't supposed to read from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth, she is dealt the crushing blow that she will not survive another pregnancy. Then she crosses paths by chance with Alice Gray, a young midwife. Alice promises to help her give birth to a healthy baby, and to prove the physician wrong. As Alice is drawn into the witchcraft accusations that are sweeping the north-west, Fleetwood risks everything by trying to help her. But is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Soon the two women's lives will become inextricably bound together as the legendary trial at Lancaster approaches, and Fleetwood's stomach continues to grow. Time is running out, and both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other. My Review Upon opening the very first page, I was immediately transported back to the 17th century and straight to the Lancashire countryside. Halls sets the scene wonderfully and she drew me straight into the storyline so that I found myself engrossed in reading for a good few hours before bed and then straight away again the next day on the train! I found the writing to be atmospheric and of course I can’t discuss this book without talking about the absolutely beautiful cover, it’s so stunning! I really enjoyed the plot and how it developed over the course of the book. I also liked how the author brought some real life names from the Pendle Witch trials into the story. I would’ve loved for there to be more in the book about the trials as I’m very interested in that period of history, but there was still plenty here to read about and Fleetwood made for an interesting and engaging narrator. Overall I’m giving The Familiars 4 out of 5. It’s atmospheric, well-written and a very enjoyable debut. This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorStacey Halls grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She has always been fascinated by the Pendle witches. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at the Bookseller and books editor at Stylist.co.uk, and has also written for Psychologies, the Independent and Fabulous magazine, where she now works as Deputy Chief Sub Editor. The Familiars is her first novel.
The Synopsis They left four children safe upstairs. They came back to three. On the fifth floor of the White Caps Hotel, four young boys are left alone while their parents dine downstairs. But when one of the parents checks on the children at midnight, they discover one of them is missing. The boys swear they stayed in their room. CCTV confirms that none of them left the building. No trace of the child is found. Now the hunt is on to find him, before it’s too late – and before the search for a boy becomes a search for a body... My Review I always know that I really loved a book when I find it difficult to write my review for fear of not doing the book justice, and oh gosh how I struggled to write this review! But here it is anyway and hopefully it expresses how much I loved this book! While I was reading Gone by Midnight, I was thinking about how well it would work as a series because of what great characters Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell are, not realising that it’s already part of a series - the Crimson Lake series! I think the fact that I was able to get through the whole book without realising that there were previous books or feeling as though I’d missed anything, shows how well written Gone by Midnight is. While I would definitely recommend reading the previous books because (going by this one) it’s a wonderful series, this book can definitely be read as a standalone with no problems at all. I was able to slot straight in and I warmed to Ted and Amanda instantly, so I think you will too. As you might’ve guessed by the fact I’ve mentioned their names twice already, Ted and Amanda’s partnership really made the book for me. They’re so well-developed and layered that they’re really easy to get behind and although they seem like an unlikely pair, they complement each other so well. There’s a fabulous sense of place during the entirety of the book, and while I’ve never been to Australia, I now feel as though I have! This book really has it all. It’s full of tension, action, gripping writing and a complex central mystery but is also packed with plenty of emotion and heart. I read the last third of this book with my eyes glued to the page and I was completely unable to work out who was behind Richie’s disappearance or how it was done. I really enjoyed the ending and found it thoroughly satisfying. Overall, I’m giving Gone by Midnight 4.5 out of 5. It’s immersive, satisfying and expertly written. I absolutely cannot wait for more from Conkaffey and Pharrell! This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorCandice is the middle child of a large, eccentric family from Sydney’s western suburbs. The daughter of a parole officer and an enthusiastic foster-carer, Candice spent her childhood listening around corners to tales of violence, madness and evil as her father relayed his work stories to her mother and older brothers.
Candice won back-to-back Ned Kelly awards for her first two novels Hades and Eden. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed Fall and co-writer with James Patterson of the Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Never Never set in the Australian outback.  Today is my stop on the blog tour for Tell Me a Secret by Jane Fallon! Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis Best friends Holly and Roz tell each other everything. So when Holly gets a shot at her dream job after putting everything on hold to raise her daughter, she assumes Roz will be waiting to pop the champagne. But is she just imagining things or is Roz not quite as happy as she should be? And now she thinks about it, a few things don't quite add up... Perhaps it was a mistake to tell Roz all her secrets. Because it takes two to tango. But only one to start a war... My Review Tell Me a Secret is the first book I’ve read by Jane Fallon. Straight away I loved her writing style and found myself adding all of her previous books to my evergrowing to be read list! I think my favourite part about this read was Holly and Dee’s friendship. I found myself smiling many a time at their exploits and it really brought a lot of warmth to the book. I felt that there was a good balance of humour and intrigue all the way through. It worked really well, making sure the overall tone was never too dark or too light. It was a well paced read and there were plenty of twists which kept me turning the pages, but I knew that I was truly hooked when I was reading this book on the train, and we were told the train would be held in the station for at least 30 minutes. Instead of being annoyed at how late it would make me, I was actually delighted and silently celebrated the extra reading time! It was well worth it too, as the extra time meant I managed to finish the book - I really enjoyed the satisfying and feel-good ending. Overall, I’m giving Tell Me a Secret 4 out of 5. It’s twisty, compelling and entertaining. A thoroughly enjoyable read. This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. The above is an affiliate link. About the AuthorJane Fallon is the multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do Before You're 30. Her Sunday Times bestselling books are Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back, Foursome, The Ugly Sister, Skeletons, Strictly Between Us, My Sweet Revenge and Faking Friends. They have sold over a million copies in the UK alone.
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