Today is my stop on the blog tour for We All Fall Down by Daniel Kalla! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops!

...**THIS IS A GOVERNMENT ALERT**IF YOU EXHIBIT SYMPTOMS, STAY IN YOUR HOMES**PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND DO NOT ATTEMPT THE RESCUE OF OTHERS**THIS IS A GOVERNMENT ALERT**IF YOU EXHIBIT SYMPTOMS, STAY IN YOUR HOMES**PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND DO NOT ATTEMPT THE RESCUE OF OTHERS**THIS IS A GOVERNMENT ALERT**...


IT STARTS WITH ONE PATIENT
A woman is dying in an Italian hospital, coughing up blood, convulsing and barely conscious.
BEFORE IT SPREADS TO THE TOWN
Dr Alana Vaughn, an expert from NATO, confirms everyone’s worst fears: the woman has the highly infectious disease that swept through Europe eight hundred years ago. The Black Death.
AND TAKES THE CITY
The sickness is spreading so quickly that soon the outbreak becomes a global pandemic. Markets crash and governments fall as quickly as the citizens they govern.
THEN THE COUNTRY
As panic takes hold and the death toll climbs, the consequences become horrifically clear – Alana must discover a way to stop the disease or it will be the end of us all.
THEN THE WORLD - AND WE ALL FALL DOWN

While I’ve read my fair share of thrillers, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a medical thriller before, and gosh this was an incredible introduction to the genre!
Kalla’s medical background and knowledge of the subject really comes through, whilst still allowing the story to flow. He strikes a good balance between the medical aspect and the thriller aspect of the plot to create a scarily believable and extremely thought-provoking read which keeps you on the edge of your seat. The pace is fast and intense and when combined with the use of narratives from the past and present it creates a real atmosphere and feeling of suspense.
I thought that Dr Alana Vaughn was a well developed and interesting character, as were all of her fellow characters in fact.
Overall, I’m giving We All Fall Down 5 out of 5 and adding it to my five star favourites shelf! It’s thought-provoking, expertly written and frighteningly believable. I can’t wait to read more by Kalla and I’m shocked that I’ve never read anything by him before!

Dr Ruth Hartland rises to difficult tasks. She is the director of a highly respected trauma therapy unit. She is confident, capable and excellent at her job. Today she is preoccupied by her son Tom's disappearance.
So when a new patient arrives at the unit - a young man who looks shockingly like Tom - she is floored.
As a therapist, Ruth knows exactly what she should do in the best interests of her client, but as a mother she makes a very different choice - a decision that will have profound consequences.

I’ve always loved reading about anything remotely related to psychology and so I found the psychological element of A Good Enough Mother extremely fascinating. I feel like I’ve learnt so much about the therapeutic process without even realising it. The whole book is intelligently and insightfully written and while it was at a slower pace than I’m used to, it suited the story well and I really enjoyed reading it.
The subtle foreshadowing gives the plot a suspenseful edge while Ruth as a main character is really engaging. Her nuances made her feel real and helped me to connect with her as she tried to help others overcome their trauma whilst battling her own loss privately.
I also found this book rather moving at times as some of the patients’ stories were so emotional and their discussion of their lives in their therapy session so well written that it actually brought tears to my eyes.
The ending felt poignant and memorable and I thought that it fitted the book perfectly.
Overall, I’m giving A Good Enough Mother 5 out of 5 and adding it to my five star favourites shelf! It’s gripping, moving and insightful. A thoroughly compelling read.

​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.