Tag: July 2019

Clear My Name Blog Tour

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About the Book

Innocent?

When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband’s lover, she denied it. She denied it when they arrested her, when they put her in front of a jury, and when they sent her to prison.

Now she’s three years into a fifteen-year sentence, away from the daughter she loves and the life she had built. And she is still denying that she is to blame.

Guilty?

Tess Gilroy has devoted her life to righting wrongs. Through her job for Innocence UK, a charity which takes on alleged miscarriages of justice, she works tirelessly to uncover the truth.

But when she is asked to take Carrie’s case, Tess realises that if she is to help this woman, she must risk uncovering the secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide…

We’ve all done things we’re not proud of.

My Review

This blog tour was originally booked up before I had even seen the email, so I was thrilled when it had been extended. Thanks to damppebbles and for my copy of the book.

This was a really interesting twist on the usual crime/murder mystery novel. Carrie has already been convicted and sentenced for murder, and been in prison for the last three years. Has she been wrongly convicted, or is her daughter unable to accept that her mother is a murderer?

The majority of murder mysteries or crime dramas end with the murderer admitting their crimes once they have been confronted with the evidence, so we never really think about what happens if an innocent person if found guilty. We like to think that we live in a society where this wouldn’t happen,  but this probably happens more often than we’d like to admit.

It’s not clear from the start of this book whether Carrie is innocent or guilty. We follow Tess as she tries to determine whether Carrie is innocent, and if she is, who is the murderer?

There is a lot going on in this book, it keeps you guessing as you’re not sure who to believe, or what the truth is. If Carrie is innocent, who hated her enough to frame her for murder? 

I couldn’t put this book down. The characters draw you in, and I was desperate to find out what was really going on. Clear My Name manages to give you enough background information about the characters throughout the book to keep you invested in them, without going into so much detail that it takes away from the pacing of the story.

Tess is a flawed character, which is what makes her so relatable and likeable. I’d love to see her in future books.

About the Author

© Stephen Lea

Paula Daly is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year award, and her books have been developed for the new ITV television series, Deep Water, starring Anna Friel. She was born in Lancashire and lives in the Lake District with her husband, three children, and whippet Skippy.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulaDalyAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paula-Daly-490968164379299

Blog Tour: Riverflow

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About the Book

After a beloved family member is drowned in a devastating flood, Bede and Elin Sherwell want nothing more than to be left in peace to pursue their off-grid life. But when the very real prospect of fracking hits their village, they are drawn in to the frontline protests. During a spring of relentless rain, a series of mysterious threats and suspicious accidents put friendships on the line and the Sherwells’ marriage under unbearable tension. Is there a connection with their uncle’s death? As the river rises under torrential rain, pressure mounts, Bede’s sense of self begins to crumble and Elin is no longer sure who to believe or what to believe in.

My Review

A huge thanks to damppebbles and honno for inviting me to take part in this blog tour. This is a beautifully written book, and I don’t think I would have discovered it otherwise.

Riverflow focuses on the story of Bede and Elin, particularly how Bede is coping after his uncles death. Bede isn’t ready to move on, but soon there’s the threat of fracking to deal with, and the harrassment from their neighbour, all putting a strain on their relationship.

This is  an interesting story with a lot of different elements coming together. Layland explores some of the issues facing the world today in a way that clearly shows her passion. You can’t help but be moved by the couple’s plight and determination to cope as best they can. 

There is a slow build up of suspense and tension throughout the book. This isn’t too overt, but it lets you know that there’s something not quite right.  This isn’t the level of suspense found in a typical thriller, but there’s a sense of unease throughout the book as you know something isn’t quite right.

The story introduces a cast of characters, all experiencing their own problems that Layland forces you to care about. This is a very character driven story with incredibly real people that engages the reader in a way that makes the plot feel incidental. 

I’m not sure how I’d classify this book, there are subtle elements of a psychological thriller, but there’s something that moves it beyond this. Riverflow brings together a range of elements to create a beautiful story that stays with you. This is the first novel I’ve read by Alison Layland, but I’ll be sure to check out her backlist.

About the Author

Alison Layland is a writer and translator. Raised in Newark and Bradford, she now lives on the Wales/Shropshire border. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University and translates from German, French and Welsh into English. Her published translations include a number of bestselling novels.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisonLayland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonLaylandAuthor/

Website: http://www.alayland.uk/

#24in48 Reading List

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This weekend is 24in48, or an excuse for me to spend the entire weekend reading. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump for the last couple of weeks so this has come at a great time. If you’ve never done #24in48 before, the goal is to spend 24 hours reading over the 48 hour period. It’s not too late to sign up, and you can get more info here.

I did this for the first time back in January and loved it. This time around I have a huge list of books for blog tours, NetGalley releases, library books, books I own, and a couple of audiobooks in case I need to leave the house (they count towards the 24 hours).

Blog Tours

Deserve to Die: A psychological thriller with a heart-stopping ending by [Rijks, Miranda]
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Deserve to Die – This is the first book I’ve read by Miranda Rijks, but I saw a lot of great reviews for I Want You Gone a few months ago so I have a good feeling about this.

Clear My Name – I missed out on this when the first invites when I’m, so I was thrilled to get a spot when the blog tour was extended.

One Year Later – This arrived earlier today, so just in time for the weekend.

NetGalley

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The End of the Line – This was released at the start of the month and I feel really bad that I still haven’t read it. I’m determined that I’ll read it this weekend.

We Were Sisters – I’ve read a lot of thrillers, but I’m always looking for the next one. The plot of this sounds great and I’m looking forward to starting it.

Endgame – I love a good crime thriller, in any form, and this one sounds like it has everything I want.

Library Books

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The Uncommon Reader – This isn’t my usual read but it’s for the book club at work. It’s short and lighthearted so it will make a good read in between the more serious books.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with YA, but I read Legend a couple of months ago and loved it. So I have Prodigy and Champion to finish the trilogy.

Owned Books

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The Chain – I saw so much for this book before it was even released that I had to buy it. I’m so excited to finally read it and I’m hoping that it lives up to all of the hype.

The Whisper Man – This is another book that I’ve seen a lot of hype for. It sounds really eerie and I’m sure it will keep me on the edge of my seat.

Keep You Close – There have been some great reviews for this, and it’s the type of book that I usually love, so I’m hopeful that it’ll meet my expectations.

Audiobooks

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All These Worlds – I loved the first two books in the series, but I’m not quite ready for it to end so I’ve been putting off finishing the series, but it’s the perfect story to break up the weekend when I need a break.

The Fold – I got this because I liked the narrator, and realised afterwards that it’s the sequel to 14 so I’m looking forward to this.

This is a pretty ambitious reading list, and I probably won’t finish all of them, but this has made me excited for the weekend. Are you doing 24in48? Do you have a reading list for the weekend?

Review: 55 ★★★

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About the Book

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There were 54 victims before this. Who is number 55?

Wilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy, remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness. It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, who is proud to run the town’s small police station, a place used to dealing with domestic disputes and noise complaints.

All that changes on a scorching day when an injured man stumbles into Chandler’s station. He’s covered in dried blood. His name is Gabriel. He tells Chandler what he remembers.

He was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Heath. Heath told Gabriel he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim.

Heath is a serial killer.

As a manhunt is launched, a man who says he is Heath walks into the same station. He tells Chandler he was taken by a man named Gabriel. Gabriel told Heath he was going to be victim 55.

Gabriel is the serial killer.

Two suspects. Two identical stories. Which one is the truth?

My Review

When I first read the blurb for this book I was immediately intrigued. Sadly, I thought it didn’t quite live up to it’s full potential.

There is a lot going on in this book to keep you interested, but the characters aren’t likable, and this took away from my enjoyment. Chandler can’t stand up to his old rival, Mitchell who comes to town to help solve the case (and take over). Mitchell is a one-dimensional character with no redeeming qualities whose entire purpose is to be Chandler’s rival. 

From the blurb I expected the majority of the book to revolve around the mystery of who was telling the truth, but I thought this was solved too quickly. I wanted more of the book to focus on this, as it’s a really interesting idea that could have been expanded. This didn’t feel like the main plot of the book, more something they had to get past to solve the next part.

The book was enjoyable and there were some really good plot twists ,but it didn’t stand out for me. I think this got lost in the middle of some really good thrillers so that could have affected my opinion. I’d consider reading the next release from this author, but he hasn’t moved to my must buy list.

July TBR

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I don’t usually set a monthly TBR as I like reading whatever I’m in the mood for. However when I was looking at what I wanted to read next I made a huge list of books I wanted to read so I’m trying out setting a TBR for the month.

NetGalley

So even though I’ve only had a few requests approved on NetGalley, I’m still behind on reading and reviewing

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The End of the Line

We Were Sisters

The Wives – I probably wouldn’t have requested this if I’d realised it was part of The Devil Wears Prada series as it’s not something I’d usually read. However this sounded interesting, and I’ve been branching out more into other genres recently and finding more books that I enjoy so I’m looking forward to trying this.

Library Books

I’ve also been terrible at actually reading my library books recently. I’ve been in different places for work with events and training courses, so I’ve been mostly reading on my kindle for the last few weeks.

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The Wrong Girl

The Woman in the Dark

Identity Crisis

Kindle

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Little Darlings

Close to Home

Don’t Tell a Soul

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Final Girls

In Defence of Innocence

I Know You’re There

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Chloe Lost Girl

The Demons Beneath

Sleep

I’m expecting that I’ll add more to the list, and read books that aren’t on here, but I’m aiming for the majority of books this month to be from this list.

Do you plan your TBR in advance, or read whatever your in the mood for? Or do you manage to only buy books when you’re going to read them (if so, teach me your secrets)

Stacking the Shelves: 7 July 2019

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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosten by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality, all about sharing the books you have aquired in the last week.

Kindle

The start of the month means new kindle sales, which means that I’ve already bought far too many books. I haven’t even looked at the summer sale yet so I’ll definitely be buying more in the near future.

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Her Pretty Bones

Exquisite

What You Did

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Little Girl Missing

The Daughter

A Nearly Normal Family

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Your Truth or Mine

I Looked Away

Sleep

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The Ghost Brigades

The Silent Ones

Someone Else’s Baby

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The Divorce

Then She Vanishes

The Starter Wife

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The Perfect Family

Tell Me You’re Mine

The Stranger Diaries

What have you added to your shelves this week?

Have you read any of these books? What should I read first?

Review: Degrees of Guilt ★★★★★

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Trigger Warning: This book has mentions of self harm, and I will talk about this in my review.

About the Book

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Maria is on trial for attempted murder.

She has confessed to the crime and wanted her husband dead.

Lottie is on the jury, trying to decide her fate.

She embarks on an illicit affair with a stranger, and her husband can never find out.

You will think you know who is guilty and who is innocent.

You will be wrong.

My Review

This book was absolutely amazing. I’m a huge fan of Law & Order: SVU and this could definitely be the plot of an episode. I was completly hooked by the end of the first chapter. I read this on the train up to Aberdeen and it made the entire journey fly by (and coincidentally was the perfect length for the journey).

The story alternates between Maria, who’s only regret is that her husband didn’t die, and Lottie, a frustrated housewife who’s enjoying her role in something bigger.

To the outside world, Maria’s husband was the perfect gentleman, but Maria tells a darker tale of an abuse and manipulation.

Lottie is becoming frustrated with her role as wife and mother, and this jury duty seems like the perfect opportunity to add some excitement to her life. She slowly becomes enamoured with another jury member, but will she risk her marriage for him?

Throughout the book we get Maria’s story of her life with her husband, and how cruel he really was, and then the jury’s opinions on what they had heard. This tells the story of how hard it is for victims to convince the outside world when the abuser has spent years building up their reputation. Even without her husband in court, the jury want to believe his lies, because they’re a much nicer story than the truth.

Amongst all of this the reader gets a sense that there is something else going on we are not aware of. Is Maria telling the truth? Is this part of something bigger?

Part of this book deals with Maria’s self harm, and I thought this was handled incredibly well. As someone who has struggled with self-harm for years I thought the author managed to capture the thoughts and emotions around this world wonderfully. This is an extremely difficult topic to deal with and the author did so in a very respectful way.

Overall this book was an amazing read that I’ll recommend to anyone who’ll listen to me. I can’t wait for the next book.

Have you read Degrees of Guilt yet? What did you think?