​1952. Soviet troops control British streets. After the disastrous failure of D-Day, Britain is occupied by Nazi Germany, but is eventually liberated by Russian soldiers arriving from the east and Americans from the west. The two superpowers divide the nation between them, a wall running through London like a scar.
When Jane Cawson calls into her husband’s medical practice and detects the perfume worn by his former wife, Lorelei – star of propaganda films for the new Marxist regime – she fears what is between them. But when Jane rushes to confront them, she finds herself instead caught up in the glamorous actress’ death.
Nick is soon arrested for murder. Desperate to clear his name, Jane must risk the attention of the brutal secret police as she follows a trail of corruption right to the highest level of the state.
And she might find she never really knew her husband at all.
​
Set within the familiar streets of London, Rubin’s debut dystopian thriller dares to reimagine what 1950s Britain would have become under the iron rule of the Soviet Union.

​I’ve never read an alternative history book before, so I was very intrigued and excited by the synopsis for Liberation Square and absolutely jumped at the chance to join the blog tour!
This is Rubin’s first novel, but it doesn’t feel like a debut in the slightest and is very deftly written. I felt that the characters came to life on the page and I loved the addition of the real historical characters too.
The plot is so believable that it’s quite frightening to think of what could’ve been. I really enjoyed the way this book expertly combines mystery, history and a good bit of spying to create a novel that can be enjoyed by crime lovers and historical fiction lovers alike.
It’s packed with secrets and lies and there are plenty of twists to keep you on your toes too. The pace and tension really keeps you reading, as does the gripping writing which draws you in and keeps you right to the very end.
Overall, I’m giving Liberation Square 4 out of 5. It’s thrilling, intriguing and full of secrets and lies at every turn. I’m looking forward to more from Rubin! 
​

​Gareth Rubin is an author and journalist who has written for many national newspapers. He lives in London; Liberation Square is his first novel.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for You Die Next by Stephanie Marland! Thank you so much to Alex for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

You can run - but you can't hide...

When a group of urban explorers stumble across a murderer's kill room in a derelict film studio, terror strikes. And when one of the group is found dead, the team realise - they're being hunted.
DI Dominic Bell is investigating the murder, but as the body count rises, time is running out. The only person who can help him is a figure from his past, Clementine Starke - but Clementine is haunted by her own demons. Can the two of them pair up to catch the killer? Or is it already too late?

I was on the blog tour for the first book in this series, My Little Eye, and I absolutely fell in love with Marland’s writing. As soon as I started reading You Die Next I instantly remembered why that was. The short chapters which flick between perspectives keep the pacy, fresh feel while the multi modal aspects such as the messages and live streams make the plot totally original and contemporary and Marland’s skilful writing keeps you hanging on to every word.
As I mentioned above, this book is the second in the series and while the case from the previous book plays a big part in this one, it’s explained in enough detail so that you’ll have no problem understanding if you haven’t read the first book. Additionally the main plot regarding the ‘Urbexers’ is standalone so you can jump right into that, however I think that to get a proper insight into the characters’ relationships, particularly Clementine’s relationships with others and specifically with Dom, you’d benefit from reading the first book too. (And trust me, that’s far from a chore!)
The plot has a really up to date feel with unique and well-developed characters and themes throughout. I did guess who the culprit was towards the end, but this didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all as not only was I compelled to keep reading to see if I was right, but the tension and action really ramped up so I couldn’t have stopped reading even if I’d wanted to!
Overall, I’m giving You Die Next 5 out of 5! It’s riveting, contemporary and entirely unique. I’m going to have to try really hard to be patient for the next book in the series!!

‘They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don't believe I've done?'

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning - slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.
For the first time Frannie must tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.
But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

I don’t get to read gothic historical fiction as much as I’d like to, so I was delighted when I read the synopsis of this book, but what first struck me about The Confessions of Frannie Langton was the absolutely stunning cover, and let me tell you it’s even more beautiful in reality! I couldn’t stop staring at it and then when I started reading, I couldn’t stop doing that either!
I thought that the events from Frannie’s past were really well explored and while there were times where it was uncomfortable and disturbing to read, her story was compellingly told throughout. I felt really drawn into Frannie’s world thanks to the attention to detail and amount of research which Collins has clearly undertaken. I really enjoyed the way that Collins writes, it felt fresh and different to what I usually read and I particularly appreciated the way she wrote her characters. I thought they were all very richly drawn and Frannie’s voice worked really well as a narrator.
Overall I’m giving The Confessions of Frannie Langton 4 out of 5. It’s profound, well-researched and absorbing. A great debut from Sara Collins.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Dead Man’s Daughter by Roz Watkins! Thanks so much to Lily for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

She was racing towards the gorge. The place the locals knew as ‘Dead Girl's Drop’…

DI Meg Dalton is thrown headlong into her latest case when she finds a ten-year-old girl running barefoot through the woods in a blood-soaked nightdress. In the house nearby, the girl's father has been brutally stabbed to death.
At first Meg suspects a robbery gone tragically wrong, but something doesn’t add up. Why does the girl have no memory of what happened to her? And why has her behaviour changed so dramatically since her recent heart transplant?
The case takes a chilling turn when evidence points to the girl’s involvement in her own father’s murder. As unsettling family secrets emerge, Meg is forced to question her deepest beliefs to discover the shocking truth, before the killer strikes again…

Ever since I finished Watkins’ last DI Meg Dalton novel, I’ve been waiting desperately for the next. Several months ago I found out that a few words from my review had made it into the paperback and it made me even more excited for the next book, then when I got the invite to the blog tour and realised that it was finally here, I couldn’t reply fast enough!
I think that Dead Man’s Daughter will work just fine as a standalone, but I’d really recommend reading The Devil’s Dice first as DI Meg Dalton is such a fantastic character and the first book will really help to get more of her background. (Plus it’s a brilliant read)
Meg is a complex, realistic and multi-layered character, all of this makes her really enjoyable to read as well as adding to the intrigue.
I really love the way Watkins writes and how she deftly creates tension and gripping chapters not only through the plot, but also through the wonderfully atmospheric descriptions of the Peak District which weave through the novel.
For the duration of me reading this, I wished I’d never have to put this book down!
Overall, I’m giving Dead Man’s Daughter 4.5 out of 5. It’s fast-paced, intelligent and so, so enthralling. I’m really looking forward to more from DI Dalton ASAP!

Roz Watkins is the author of the DI Meg Dalton crime series, which is set in the Peak District where Roz lives with her partner and a menagerie of demanding animals.
Her first book, The Devil’s Dice, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and has been optioned for TV.
Roz studied engineering at Cambridge University before training in patent law. She was a partner in a firm of patent attorneys in Derby, but this has absolutely nothing to do with there being a dead one in her first novel.
In her spare time, Roz likes to walk in the Peak District, scouting out murder locations.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Sleep by C.L. Taylor! Thanks so much to Sabah and Nelima for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…
To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.
Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.

Someone’s going to sleep and never wake up…

After absolutely loving C.L Taylor’s last book, The Fear, I was so excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Sleep! I really didn’t think it was possible for Taylor’s writing to be any more brilliant than it was in The Fear, but after just a few minutes reading Sleep, I was proved completely wrong! And I certainly didn’t sleep for long on the night I first started it, as I stayed up late reading even though I had to catch a train early in the morning! I just couldn’t stop reading! Clear your diary when you start this one!
Once again, Taylor excelled in keeping me on the edge of my seat and totally gripped.
The characters are really well developed and interesting and they definitely made the book for me.
I loved how the tension builds throughout the book and how Taylor had me changing my mind about everything after every little twist.
Overall, I’m giving Sleep 4.5 out of 5. It’s addictive, twisty and highly compelling. Another masterpiece from C.L Taylor!